CM B S Yediyurappa backs Gowda family on Nikhil’s wedding

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Saturday backed the Gowda family over actor-politician Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s wedding, which drew flak for allegedly violating lockdown norms.

Nikhil, the son of former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and grandson of former prime minister H D Devegowda, entered into wedlock on Friday at a Bidadi farmhouse with Revathi, the grandniece of former Congress minister M Krishnappa.

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“They had all the permissions and the event was held in a simple fashion. There’s no need to discuss this,” Yediyurappa told reporters. “Despite having many relatives, they stuck to the limitations. For this, I congratulate them,” he said.

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Yediyurappa’s stand counters that of his deputy C N Ashwathnarayan, who criticized the JD(S) leaders for conducting the wedding despite the lockdown.

According to sources, some 42 passes were issued by the Ramanagara district administration for the families to travel from Bengaluru to Kethaganahalli, where the wedding took place.

It was said that steps were taken to ensure social distancing in the positioning of seats and that hand sanitiser was sprayed at the entrance. But when photographs and video footage of the wedding surfaced online, eyebrows were raised as people sans masks were seen crowding in violation of lockdown
norms.