Sagar (Madhya Pradesh) [India], May 2 (HBTV): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav attended a mass wedding ceremony held in Garhakota town in Sagar district on Thursday, where 3,219 couples tied the knot.

Senior BJP leader and nine-time MLA from the Rehli constituency, Gopal Bhargava, has been organising this mass wedding ceremony in Garhakota since 2001.

Addressing the gathering, CM Yadav stated, ‘If a woman lost her husband, then in such a situation, it is our duty to convince her in finding a new beginning through remarriage. Sometimes, we come across news that if the husband of a woman dies due to any reason, then in-laws act as parents and get their widowed daughter-in-law remarry. Such sentiments should be appreciated and encouraged.’

He urged public representatives and social workers to actively support and promote the remarriage of Kalyanis (widowed or abandoned women). He added that the state government is promoting social harmony through the encouragement of Kalyani remarriages, marriages of persons with disabilities, and inter-caste marriages.

Rehli MLA Bhargava, while addressing the mass wedding ceremony, said, ‘Kanyadaan is among the greatest acts of giving, believed to lead one to salvation. The mass marriage initiative, which began 23 years ago, will continue for as long as I live.’

He noted that 3,219 newlywed couples took the sacred seven vows in what he described as a religious, social, and cultural Mahakumbh. Bhargava shared that he has had the privilege of performing kanyadaan for over 28,000 daughters to date, and pledged to continue this service until his last breath.

He added that such kanyadaan ceremonies play a vital role in promoting social harmony and eliminating discrimination. Bhargava also shared that he had solemnised the marriage of his only son, Abhishek Deepu Bhargava, in this very Mahakumbh alongside couples from all communities and castes. Similarly, his daughter was also married through a mass wedding ceremony.

He expressed that it was a matter of great fortune and pride to have Chief Minister Mohan Yadav present at the event to bless the newlyweds. Bhargava further conveyed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent a message of good wishes and blessings for the newly married couples.

(ANI)