Sushil Modi, Who Was Threatened By Lalu's Son, Now Bride-Hunting For Him

Patna: Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Modi has a new assignment: Finding a bride for Tej Pratap Yadav, whose threats, the senior BJP leader had said, pushed him to change venue of his son's wedding. The episode had a happy ending on Sunday as Taj Pratap's father Lalu Yadav attended the wedding of Utkarsh Modi.

Mr Yadav, who had brushed off his son's threats and offering his best wishes to Mr Modi's family, had taken a break from politics for the evening. At the no-frills wedding at Patna's Veterinary College grounds, he was seen embracing Mr Modi, his long-time political rival, and chit-chatting with the assembled BJP leaders. He stayed at the wedding for two hours.

The bonhomie deepened as Tej Pratap Yadav, who had stayed away from the function, tweeted, "Sushil Modi is like my father. I offer my best wishes to his son and request Modi uncle to find a bride for me as well."

The response from Mr Modi was prompt. "Ready to find a bride for Tej Pratap but 3 shartein (conditions). No dowry, pledge organ donation and no threatening to disrupt any marriage," the deputy Chief Minister tweeted back.

The said threat had come days ago as Tej Pratap Yadav, a minister in the Grand Alliance government headed by Nitish Kumar till July, had given a shocking response to the wedding invitation. "If I attend, I will enter his house and beat him up. If I go to his son's marriage, I will expose him," Tej Pratap Yadav had said. Later, he said his statement should not have been taken "literally" and Mr Modi should proceed with the wedding without any worry or fear.

Tej Pratap Yadav is yet to respond to "Modi uncle's" conditions. But sources close to the family say he is unlikely to accept. Lalu Yadav has always maintained that a dowry-less marriage is "farce" as the groom's side manages to take dowry in one form or the other.

Sticking to the socialist standards of Nitish Kumar, Sushil Modi had kept his son's wedding extremely austere. Guests were offered simple refreshments instead of lavish meals and were told not to bring gifts.

At the wedding function venue, a stall was put up where visitors could donate organs and pledge to stay away from child marriage and dowry. The small cash traditionally given to newly-weds was donated to Dadhichi Dehdaan Samiti, the non-profit handling the organ donations.