Two tanks of shuddh ghee from Mathura, video-conferencing, 400 artisans working for ten days and food ranging from Bihari to French are just some of the highlights of RJD chief Laloo Yadav and Rabri Devi’s daughter Rohini’s wedding today.On the eve of the wedding, Laloo, dressed in his lungi and baniyan, chewing paan and sporting alta on his feet, takes a team of ministers and MLAs on a recce of the grounds of the Chief Ministers’ House. ‘‘These cutouts have been made by artists from Kolkata,’’ he tells the entourage, picking up a cutout of a dancing woman.Unperturbed by the criticism of excess coming his way, Laloo takes the team through the six pandals that have been put up on the grounds. Two pandals are for the party workers, one for women, one for the VVIPs expected, and the main pandal will house the bride, the groom and their in-laws.The ministers have got their duties spelt out. According to sources, wrestler-turned-minister Dadan Yadav and Lalit Yadav will man the front gate to 1 Anne Marg, and two other ministers — Shivanand Tiwari and Ram Chandra Purbey — will attend VVIPs.Laloo dismisses the criticism that the bureaucracy has come to a standstill for the wedding: ‘‘Do you see any ministers or rbureaucrats working here? This is a BJP plot to tarnish my reputation. Anyone can come and see the arrangement for themselves.’’All the ministers — who have camped out in the Chief Minister’s residence —and DGP R.R. Prasad are quite matter of fact about their presence. ‘‘All who come here will be greeted by us as we are all part of the family. This is Bihari custom,’’ says Ram Chander Purbey and his sentiments are seconded by none other than a CPI-ML MLA, Umadhar Prasad Singh, from Darbhanga. ‘‘This is not politics. This is a daughter’s wedding,’’ he explains. No wonder that even arch enemy Ranjan Yadav is set to attend. Four chief ministers, including Farooq Abdullah, Ashok Gehlot, Jayalalithaa and Babulal Marandi, have already confirmed they are coming.Other daughters in the Yadav family are supervising the decoration work. Two tankers of pure ghee arrived from Mathura today. Each pandal has a huge screen so that everyone can watch the marriage proceedings in the main pandal.According to Pappu Prasad, who has set up the waterproof pandals, the bill has been paid by the All India Tent Association. Four hundred artisans have been brought from Kolkata for decorations and cutouts made out of dried date palms and thermocol. Flowers — from gladioli to tulips — have been flown in from Delhi and Bangalore. Slated to be a gastronomical delight, the marriage will offer over a km-long stretch of buffet to the guests. The caterers are from Siliguri.Bollywood stars have already started pouring in and state Power Minister Shyam Razak is in-charge of that bit of the programme. Sunil Shetty, Sharad Kapoor and Bhagyashree have already arrived. Sunil Dutt, Sanjay Dutt, Mahesh Bhatt and Pooja Bhatt are some of the other film personalities who will fly in tomorrow. The state Assembly guest house — meant only for MLAs and MPs — has been booked to accommodate the stars.Meanwhile, allegations are flying thick and fast that Laloo’s relatives have bullied a local car showroom owner into sending them cars for the in-laws. This correspondent spotted a light blue Ford without registration parked in the compound.
