Bad weather and rain forced last-minute cancellation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday evening, said the ruling BJP.

The Union home minister was scheduled to kick off the BJP’s poll campaign in MP by flagging off the first of several Gaurav yatras at 4 pm and address a public meeting too. However, he could not make it from Durg, where he attended another event earlier, due to inclement weather.

Advertisement

“Amit Bhai was scheduled to come to attend the meeting. He started from Durg but because of bad weather and rains, he was forced to return to Raipur midway,” Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told the public meeting.

The Congress, nonetheless, took the opportunity to take a jibe at the BJP. MP Congress chief Kamal Nath’s media advisor Piyush Babele questioned whether Shah cancelled his MP tour due to bad weather or because of poor turnout of people and empty chairs at the venue.

MP Chief Minister Chouhan was scheduled to flag off the yatras in the absence of Amit Shah.