Modi stranded at Dehradun airport for hours due to rainfall
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was stranded at Dehradun's Jolly Grant airport on Thursday for nearly four hours due to heavy rainfall, claimed reports. He was scheduled to go to Rudrapur, to address a rally, but his chopper couldn't take off, courtesy the bad weather. Subsequently, PM Modi was taken to a Safe House in the Uttarakhand capital where he spent a few hours.
Understanding why PM Modi visited Uttarakhand
PM Modi is in the hilly state to inaugurate schemes worth Rs. 3,400 crore. These programs would be centered around the agriculture sector. The State Integrated Co-operative Development Project, which PM Modi was scheduled to announce, is aimed at empowering co-operative, farms and allied sectors. PM Modi was also due to distribute cheques among beneficiaries of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Farmers Welfare Scheme.
Notably, Uttarakhand CM didn't receive PM Modi at airport
A visit to Jim Corbett National Park in Ramnagar was also on PM Modi's itinerary. But the downpour foiled his plans. Since this was PM Modi's unofficial visit, neither Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat nor governor Baby Rani Maurya, arrived at the airport to receive him. Meanwhile, the MeT department had anticipated heavy rainfall in the state. A hailstorm is also expected today.
Every rally PM Modi addresses is important for the party
Since general elections are only a few weeks away, every visit of PM Modi is crucial for BJP. The saffron party is facing a major battle from the resurgent Congress in Uttarakhand and it might become extremely difficult for it to win all 5 Lok Sabha seats. Earlier this month, BJP President Amit Shah addressed workers in Haridwar and asked them to work hard.
Meanwhile, Delhi woke up to heavy rainfall as well
As it turns out, Uttarakhand wasn't the only state to get affected by rains this morning. Heavy rainfall lashed the national capital Delhi as well, throwing normal life out of gear. As many as 10 trains, bound for Delhi, were delayed owing to low visibility. Apart from Delhi, heavy rainfall was predicted over parts of Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh on Thursday.
