Veteran politician and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar is livid with party leader and Maharashtra minister Bhaskar Jadhav for the “gratuitous extravagance” which the latter displayed at a social occasion.

Jadhav, who is minister of state for urban development in the state government, was in news recently for the lavish weddings of his son and daughter. According to reports, the big fat wedding cost many crores as choppers were hired to carry guests from 22 helipads to the venue at Jadhav’s native place in Chiplun, 300 km from Mumbai.

Pawar later told mediapersons, “It does not befit a person of public standing to indulge in such gaudy displays of pomp in times of crisis or even during normal occasions.”

Drawing a comparison with his daughter Supriya Sule’s wedding, Pawar said while nearly 2 lakh people had attended that wedding, the guests were served only a couple of “pedas” each.

The exchange of words between Jadhav and his senior party colleague seems like a leaf out of Gandhian-era austerity long lost to this new India… until we realise who these two are.

Pawar, not known to be a votary of political integrity and a graft-free society, and whose Wikipedia page has a long list of graft allegations against him, mind you, is against the display of “gratuitous extravaganza” and not accumulation of wealth itself. For reasons obvious to one and all.

Jadhav, who has apologised to Pawar saying it was never his intention to hurt any sentiments, has his side of the story. Jadhav — who said, “If need be, I’m even willing to account for costs incurred for the weddings by submitting details to the I-T department” — was a truck driver once whose wealth has gone up many, many fold since he joined politics. According to a Hindu report of 2004, his assets were worth only Rs 1 crore and had a thriving transport business.

Jadhav later left the Shiv Sena to join NCP.   

So all characters involved in the story (Pawar, Jadhav, Supriya Sule) – maybe merely coincidentally stinking rich — are talking here about austerity. Accumulation of wealth is one thing; its ugly display is another, and that is to be shunned.

No doubt absolute Pawar is dicey once and for all.