Rohtak:
The pre-wedding lunch thrown by Haryana Chief Minister Bhoopinder Singh Hooda for his son Rohtak MP Dipender may or may not pass the Congress austerity muster. But, in these parts the family tells NDTV, that a wedding meal means that everyone turns up - invited or not.
The number of guests was so huge, that it was feared they may not even fit the venue.
''Everybody has been invited,'' said one of the guests.
''We all have been personally invited by the CM,'' said another.
Yet they came in droves, to greet the CM and sit down for what was actually an austere meal by the standard of politicians.
For this large a gathering, for the state police the security preparation was a nightmare.
More than 2,000 policemen from across the state were put on duty to ensure that everything goes off smoothly in this pre-wedding function, where not only the constituency but people from the entire state were invited.
''This is the ritual where the entire clan is invited,'' said Bhoopinder Singh Hooda, Haryana Chief Minister.
This mammoth affair was just a ceremony. The actual wedding take places in Jaipur this weekend.
''My grandson is bringing a daughter-in-law. That's my greatest gift,'' said Hardoi, Bhoopinder Singh Hooda's mother.