Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's election rally in Assam's Dibrugarh district was cancelled today after hailstorm and rain rendered the helipad unfit for landing and he left for Delhi.
It was raining heavily, when Singh arrived at the Mohanbari airport here around 12.30 pm.
"Despite heavy rainfall, the prime minister was unwilling to cancel his public meeting," Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said.
The SPG did not allow him to go to the venue from the airport due to heavy rain and hailstorm. The rally ground was covered with water and the helipad there could not be seen from above, Gogoi said after the PM's departure.
The IAF helicopter pilot who was to fly Singh to the venue also warned that it would be dangerous to fly in the midst of a hailstorm, he said.