Madhya Pradesh: Minister organizes frog wedding to please rain Gods
Lalita Yadav, Minister of Women and Child Development in Madhya Pradesh, married off two frogs in a grand ceremony hoping to please rain Gods, a move that was heavily criticized by Opposition Congress. The Bharatiya Janata Party leader held an elaborate ceremony in Chhattarpur on Friday, followed by a feast attended by many. Reportedly, the unique wedding was seen by hundreds of people.
Defending wedding, minister says it's a logical tradition
Priest Acharya Brijnandan, who got frogs married, said this was an old tradition. He hoped frogs' marriage would bring good monsoon this year. Lalita Yadav answered back to her critics and said it would please Gods since environment was 'unhappy' with Bundelkhand. "It's not superstition but a logical tradition. In old days, our forefathers used to organize religious rituals at temple," she added.
Meanwhile, Congress leader advises Yadav to solve people's problems
"It would have been better if she had used this time and energy to solve people's problems. I, through my own means, supply around 50-100 water tankers in various parts of Chhattarpur city every day," said senior Congress leader Alok Chaturvedi.
Drought ridden farmers of Bundelkhand are migrating to nearby cities
Yadav represents Chhattarpur, falling in Bundelkhand region of the state, that houses half of the 18 districts ridden by drought. The minimal rainfall in 2017 led to 50-60% less rabi sowing. In May, this year, mercury touched 46 degrees and many water bodies went dry. In the absence of employment opportunities locally, poor villagers are migrating to nearby towns.
Some farmers leave their homes forever, says India's water-man
"More than 80% of farmers don't find proper livelihood opportunity in villages and almost 65% migrated to the places like Delhi, Punjab, Haryana or Gujarat in search of a job. Many of them are leaving forever after continuous joblessness and water crisis," said India's water-man Rajendra Singh.
