Beginning austerity from the House, literally, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) wanted the world-famous big fat Punjabi weddings to go shorter and leaner.
The journalist-turned-politician and Kharar MlA Kanwar Sandhu has submitted a draft Bill, titled ‘The Punjab Marriage Expenditure (Control and Regulation) Bill, 2018’, with Punjab Vidhan Sabha secretary for the Speaker’s approval to table it in the ensuing Budget Session.
Sandhu, in his private member bill, insisted on divorcing the practise of spending bundles of crisp currency notes on weddings, to “lessen the hardships of the people of the state, including farmers, who are in the grip of a severe financial crisis”.
The proposed bill came five years after the Vidhan Sabha, transcending party lines, condemned the prevailing practice of splurging excessive wealth that marks a typical Punjabi wedding, with community members racing to outdo each other in a show of opulence.
A resolution was also passed in 2013 budget session asking the then SAD-BJP government to come up with a mechanism to check the practise of spending loads of money in race to show one’s supremacy over the other.
A non-government organization had, in the past, started a signature campaign among the legislators, demanded a new law to put cap on the wasteful expenditure on marriage ceremonies.
In the proposed Bill’s ‘Statements of Objects and Reasons’ section, it was stated, “While farming has become a non-lucrative way of sustenance, a very large number of farmers are also under peer pressure to put up a facade of prosperity during weddings and other functions in the family after taking huge loans. This adds to their hardships and people who are unable to free themselves from this vicious social trap, have been committing suicides.”
“In urban areas too, service professions, traders and others are finding it difficult to make two ends meet and yet spend lakhs and crores on the main marriage functions of their progeny. Government interventions will provide great financial and social relief to the people,” it added.
Sandhu, in his draft Bill, propose to limit the number of guests on each side to 51, besides also restrictions on number of dishes to be served during the main functions with three main course vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.
As per the provisions of the Bill, no alcoholic beverages would be served during the public functions, including mehndi, sangeet, barat, anand karaj, laavan, nikah and reception. The violation of Bill also provides for stringent punishment, which includes imprisonment up to six months and a fine ranging between Rs 50,000 and Rs 10 lakh.
Considering recent incidents of death in celebratory firing during weddings, the proposed Bill also provides for greater stringency on carrying and firing of weapons at the weddings and related functions. In case of use of weapon in marriage function resulting in injury, the Bill provides for punishment of not less than five years and a fine of Rs one lakh but may extend to life and a fine of Rs 10 lakh (depending on the severity of injury).
It also provides for steps to ensure the venue is swept clean after the function is over.
“Such a Bill to limit wedding expenses is the need of the hour and privately most people have been talking of the need for such a measure. But no one is willing to bell the cat,” said Sandhu expressing confidence that once it comes about, it will be welcomed. “The Government's attitude towards it will also show how sincere it is to the welfare of the people and ameliorating the plight of the farmers and farm labour,” he said.
Already in the state, Gujjar community had decided to cut down on useless expenses made on fancy items during the wedding. To begin with, the practice of giving boxes of sweets with the invitation cards has been stopped to save people from extra expenditure.