The vulgar display of wealth at recent weddings hosted by members of the political class stirred up a hornet’s nest, both within the state political arena and among the common populace. The lavish weddings at Chiplun, Sangli and Navi Mumbai weren’t first time occurrences. But the timing of the hosts was very bad. In the backdrop of the severe draught prevailing in 13 districts of the state, the weddings were in exceptionally poor taste, and drew much flak.

The three weddings, covered extensively by the media, were all hosted by NCP leaders — a minister of state, a city mayor and a deputy mayor. But the matter would have been consigned to oblivion had it not been for the scathing remarks passed by NCP chief Sharad Pawar. His reaction baffled even his own partyu00a0men, who remembered that Pawar had stood by his party man, Water Resources minister Sunil Tatkare, when there were allegations that the latter had floated benami companies using names of his family members, to stash his ill-gotten gains.