Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], June 5 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after his Uttarakhand visit was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions, questioning why he did not stay back to interact with people in areas where the weather was favourable.

BJP State President and Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt remarked that it was fortunate that elections were not around the corner, otherwise the Congress would have blamed the BJP even for the helicopter being unable to fly. He added that apart from a few Congress leaders aspiring for positions, hardly anyone was waiting for Rahul Gandhi's visit. Bhatt also mocked Gandhi's reaction, saying it appeared he was more disappointed about not visiting Mohammad's gym than missing interactions with ordinary people.

Bhatt said that cancelling the Almora and Pauri programmes due to weather concerns was understandable from a security perspective. However, he claimed that Congress and Rahul Gandhi lacked confidence about their political standing among the people of Uttarakhand. According to him, they had realised there was little public enthusiasm for the visit, particularly among ex-servicemen.

He further alleged that the poor weather in the hills provided a convenient excuse to abandon the rest of the tour. 'If he could not travel to the hills, he could have interacted with people in the plains and addressed party workers in Dehradun the following day,' Bhatt said. He added that, like many of Gandhi's previous visits, this too appeared to be a mere formality and that he quickly left after getting an opportunity due to the weather disruption.

The BJP leader also said that while Uttarakhand, in keeping with its traditions, welcomes every visitor, there was no particular reason for the people of the state to eagerly await Rahul Gandhi. He noted that Gandhi was now speaking about discussing the state's social, economic, and future concerns, but alleged that he had repeatedly attempted to tarnish the image of Devbhoomi and disrespect Sanatan traditions.

He also referred to repeated mentions of Mohammad Deepak's gym in programme communications and social media posts, claiming this suggested Gandhi was particularly disappointed about missing that visit because it would have provided another opportunity to send a message of appeasement. Bhatt noted that Gandhi and other Congress leaders had already met Mohammad Deepak on several occasions in the past.

Earlier on Thursday, on X, in a message to the people of Uttarakhand, Gandhi said he had arrived in Pantnagar and was scheduled to travel by helicopter to Almora for a public meeting, but the pilot refused to take off due to unfavourable weather conditions.

'My dear brothers and sisters of Uttarakhand, Today, I wanted to meet all of you, to sit among you and listen to your thoughts, to understand your joys and sorrows, your hopes and your concerns. Unfortunately, due to the severe adverse weather conditions, this was not possible. This morning, I arrived in Pantnagar. From there, we were supposed to proceed by helicopter to Almora for the public meeting, but considering the unfavourable weather conditions, the pilot categorically refused to take off,' he said on X.

He said he had looked forward to interacting with people on a range of issues, including the state's economic and social challenges, and also had scheduled meetings with ex-servicemen in Pauri Garhwal. A visit to Kotdwar's 'Hulk Gym' was also part of his itinerary. (ANI)