The nationwide lockdown is a bitter pill that the people of India have to swallow in order to survive. It is heartening to see that the majority of the population have religiously followed the strict guidelines of the lockdown. However, certain VIPs like to be treated differently from the rest of the common folk even during the times of crisis. Former Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy is all set to host the wedding of his son on April 17, thereby violating the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy’s son, Nikhil Kumaraswamy is all set to tie the knot with the grandniece of Karnataka Congress leader M Krishnappa, Revathi on April 17 despite widespread criticism. The nuptials were slated to be held in Bengaluru but has now been shifted to Kumaraswamy’s farmhouse in Ramanagara district, as Bengaluru has been declared as a red zone.
Earlier this week, the preparations for the wedding were already in full swing as trucks carrying tents and other items were recently spotted at the farmhouse.
“Bengaluru has been declared a red zone because of the rise in the number of coronavirus cases. Maybe I am fortunate because I wanted to hold the wedding in Ramnagar itself. This place is a green zone now. There is no case of coronavirus here, it is among the few places in the state. It remains a green zone, but I want to ensure that because of this family function the district is not affected in any way,” said the former Karnataka Chief Minister.
It seems that Kumaraswamy has sought to capitalise on a loophole as in Karnataka, closed-door weddings are allowed as long as there are less than 75-100 guests as per the state notification which was issued on March 22. The Kumaraswamy wedding will now have 60 family members, thereby not flouting the state notification.
However, in light of the extension of the nationwide lockdown, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a fresh set of guidelines which bars all social, political, sports, religious functions and others till May 3. It seems that inspite of the guidelines, Kumaraswamy has decided to go ahead with the wedding which has the potential to emerge as a breeding ground for the coronavirus.
Kumaraswamy defended the decision by claiming that he consulted multiple doctors before going ahead with wedding. “In our family itself, we have 12-13 doctors whom we consulted and decided,” said the JD(S) leader. Of course, there was no mention of consulting government officials.
The wedding is a blatant violation of the guidelines issued by the MHA and despite Kumaraswamy appealing to the party workers to not attend the function, who will be to blame if the workers show up in large amounts? Ramanagara might be a green zone as of now, but can soon turn into a red zone thanks to the callousness and selfishness of HD Kumaraswamy.
