Ranchi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday left for Uttar Pradesh by road from Jharkhand's Garhwa as his helicopter could not be refuelled at Banshidhar Nagar where he addressed a rally, a top police officer said.
"He left for UP by road from Garhwa as his chopper could not be refuelled," Jharkhand DGP Anurag Gupta told PTI. Garhwa SP Deepak Pandey told PTI that since the vehicle carrying fuel for the helicopter failed to reach, Singh decided to proceed to Varanasi by road.
The distance between Varanasi and Garhwa is around 200 km. State BJP president Babulal Marandi said the vehicle carrying fuel from Ranchi could not reach Garhwa because of some problem.
Sources said the Defence Minister waited for about an hour before leaving for Varanasi. Earlier, he addressed two rallies in Jharkhand - one at Itkhori in Chatra and the other at Banshidhar Nagar, Garhwa.
Meanwhile, Singh on Saturday slammed Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, dubbing him the "most corrupt CM who played with India's healthy democratic practices.
Singh asserted that it was time to dethrone Soren and vote the BJP to power in the eastern state. Assembly elections are due in Jharkhand later in the year.
Hemant Soren is the most corrupt CM. He has played with India's healthy democratic practices and indulged in corruption. India will never accept any tainted person, he said, flagging off BJP's 'Parivartan Yatra' in Itkhori.
No BJP chief minister in the state Babulal Marandi, Arjun Munda and Raghubar Das ever faced any corruption charges, he claimed. The defence minister also attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleging that he "tarnished" India's image abroad and tried to provoke the Sikh community.
"Rahul Gandhi visited the US... He tried to provoke the Sikh community by saying that India is not safe for them. He is tarnishing the image and reputation of India in foreign countries, Singh said.
He also termed the ruling coalition in Jharkhand the JMM, Congress and RJD as three speed breakers blocking the state's development. Singh hit out at the state government for patronising Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators, and said they were marrying "our daughters which won't be tolerated", as BJP believes in the politics of justice and not of caste, creed or religion.
