Punjab CM starts second innings, marries doctor Kaur
Darpan News Desk IANS, 07 Jul, 2022 11:14 AM
Chandigarh, July 7 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday tied the knot with Gurpreet Kaur, a doctor from Haryana, in a low-key small private ceremony as per Sikh rituals at his official residence here amidst the presence of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal.
It is for the first time that a marriage ceremony was solemnised in the Chief Minister's residence.
Mann, 48, divorced his first wife Inderpreet Kaur in 2015. He has two children from that marriage -- daughter Seerat Kaur Mann (21) and son Dilshan Singh Mann (17), who attended Mann's swearing-in ceremony on March 16.
The Chief Minister made a surprise wedding announcement a day earlier. It is believed to be an arranged marriage.
Donning golden attire and a yellow turban with traditional studded 'kalgi' atop, groom Mann arrived for the wedding under a Phulkari 'dupatta' with AAP Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha, Kejriwal and a select few AAP senior leaders walking beside him.
Kejriwal performed the wedding rituals as Mann's elder brother.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was also performed with the bride's women friends blocking the entrance of the marriage venue.
After the conclusion of Anand Karaj ceremony, the couple took blessings of those present at the wedding.
Bride Kaur, 32, an MBBS degree holder from Maharishi Markandeshwar University in Mullana in Ambala district, is the youngest of three sisters. The elder ones are settled in the US and Australia.
Just hours before tying the knot, Mann's would-be bride said the auspicious day has come.
"Din Shagna Da Chadyaa (the auspicious day has come (for her wedding)," Kaur tweeted and also posted her photo.
Only close family members, including Mann's mother, sister and a few relatives and friends attended the wedding.
Speaking to the media before attending the wedding, Kejriwal said his younger brother Bhagwant Mann is getting married and embarking on a new journey.
"My younger brother is getting married and embarking on a new journey. My best wishes to him," Kejriwal told the media at the Chandigarh airport.
Responding to Mann's wedding, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Chadha told the media here, "Happiness is back in Bhagwant Mann's house after a long time."
An elated Chadha added, "Saade veer da vyah, sanu gode gode chah (My brother is getting married, I am extremely happy)."
He shared a picture on Twitter with Mann, who was seen in wedding golden attire donning a yellow turban.
Consul General of Canada in Chandigarh, Patrick Hebert, greeted the Chief Minister by tweeting, "Beautiful day for a wedding in #Chandigarh. Congratulations to Chief Minister @BhagwantMann and @DrGurpreetKaur_and best wishes for a happy life!"
The food menu for the wedding included karahi paneer, lasagna Siciliano, tandoori kulche, dal makhani, navratan biryani, apricot stuffed kofta and Burrani Raita.
A variety of lip-smacking sweets included fresh fruit trifle, moong dal halwa, angoori rasmalai and rabari.
Calling the Congress as the only party who protested against these 'black' laws from the very first day, the Chief Minister said his government called an all-party meeting and then held consultations with farm unions.
The highly specialised medical services to be rolled out across the state by end November will prove to be a boon for people, especially the poor for whom expert private sector medical care is out of reach, he said.
The Minister while addressing the inaugural session of 'Connect Karo 2021 - Towards Equitable, Sustainable Indian Cities' event, said that there can be no doubt that India's cities "enabled by citizen-centric infrastructure and transformational technology" will be the key to achieving the nation's development objectives.
Meanwhile, India logged 27,254 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours. The country also reported 219 Covid deaths in the same time span. The country presently has nearly 3.75 lakh active cases.
At a virtual Covid-19 review meeting, the Chief Minister said vaccine effectiveness is evident from the data being analysed. Special efforts were made to reach out to the government employees, and those who continue to avoid getting vaccinated will now be asked to go on leave till they get the first dose.
DGP Dinkar Gupta said with the case load decreasing, people had started being lax about wearing masks, which the Health Department should strictly enforce with the help of the police.
