The wedding rituals were performed with drum beats and chanting of mantras.
The Odisha Congress played 'matchmaker' and organised a mock wedding between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal (BJD), alleging a tacit understanding between the two parties even though there is no official partnership between the two.
The "marriage" ceremony, unfolded at the bustling Master Canteen Square in Odisha's capital Bhubaneswar, saw Congress throwing metaphorical confetti on the alleged alliance between the two parties. Congress leaders, wearing masks of political bigwigs, took centre stage in the grand ceremony that had more political undertones than a cabinet meeting.
Ajoy Kumar, the mastermind behind this political matchmaking spectacle and the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) chief, declared that BJD is not just an ally but the "brand ambassador and partner-in-life" of the BJP.
The wedding rituals, performed with all the seriousness of a parliament session, included drum beats, chanting of mantras, and even distribution of wedding invitations. In a classic twist, the invitation cards for "BJP weds BJD" had Prime Minister Narendra Modi listed as the groom's father and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik as the bride's father.
Explaining the rationale behind the grand political matrimony, Ajoy Kumar claimed, "They roam holding hands in Delhi's Lodhi Garden, and stage drama of political opponents in Odisha."
Mr Kumar further accused the BJD of being the silent supporter of the BJP, claiming that the BJD had backed the BJP-led government in various controversial decisions, including farm laws, demonetisation, and the implementation of GST.
"The BJP has remained silent on the mining scam, chit-fund scam, cabinet minister Naba Kishore Das's murder, Mamita Meher murder case and the Mahanga triple murder case," Mr Kumar claimed, as quoted by news agency PTI.
State Congress president Sarat Pattanayak jumped into the political wedding fray, accusing the BJD and BJP of turning Odisha into "one of the poorest states in the country."
BJP spokesperson Biranchi Tripathy dismissed Congress's theatrics as an attempt to prove their existence. "They are doing such drama to prove their existence," he said.
BJD leader Bhupindar Singh said people will not accept Congress because of gimmicks such as this.
"Keeping the interest of the people of Odisha in mind, the BJD extended support to the Centre on various issues during both the UPA and NDA governments," he said, as quoted by news agency PTI.
"While the BJP alleges that BJD and Congress are together, the Congress is alleging that BJD and BJP are together. It means, our Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is getting stronger," he claimed.