Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's Unexpected Road Trip Due to Fuel Delay

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh opted to travel by road from Garhwa, Jharkhand to Uttar Pradesh due to a fuel delay for his helicopter. Singh addressed multiple rallies and is set to continue his engagements in Varanasi and Jammu. The delay was caused by the tanker being stuck in a traffic jam.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Saturday, encountered an unexpected delay in Garhwa, Jharkhand, forcing him to travel to Uttar Pradesh by road. His helicopter could not be refueled at Banshidhar Nagar, where he had addressed a rally.

Jharkhand DGP Anurag Gupta informed PTI that Singh left for UP by road because the vehicle carrying the helicopter fuel did not arrive on time. Singh decided to continue his journey to Varanasi, a distance of around 200 km, by road.

State BJP president Babulal Marandi clarified that the tanker carrying the fuel from Ranchi was delayed due to issues. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan also accompanied Singh on this journey.

BJP legislator Bhanu Pratap Shahi, from Bhavnathpur in Garhwa, mentioned that the Defence Minister prioritized reaching Varanasi by road to continue his planned schedule of addressing four rallies in Jammu covering 12 assembly segments.

An airport official stated that the chopper, belonging to a private party, transported Singh from Ranchi to Chatra and then to the BJP's Parivartan rally at Banshidhar Nagar, Garhwa.

This incident echoes a recent event where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to travel to Jamshedpur via Ranchi for a BJP rally due to adverse weather conditions grounding his helicopter.

The situation delayed Singh by an hour before he commenced his road journey to Varanasi. These events align with the BJP's ongoing Parivartan Yatra, ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.