Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces an unexpected setback in West Bengal as thick fog grounds his helicopter twice, stranding him at Kolkata's Dum Dum Airport while awaiting alternate travel to a key Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rally in Nadia district. The "Parivartan Sankalpa Sabha" event got postponed due to bad weather conditions.
Fog foils PM Modi's aerial journey to Taherpur
PM Modi landed in Kolkata at around 10:40 am on Saturday (December 20), boarding a helicopter for Taherpur helipad in the Nadia district. Dense fog slashed visibility, forcing the chopper to hover briefly before executing a U-turn back to Dum Dum Airport after two failed landing attempts. As of latest updates, the PM remains at the airport, with SPG officials in urgent huddles plotting a road route to the venue or a weather-dependent retry.
The itinerary included launching highway projects at an administrative program, capped by addressing the BJP's high-stakes political rally. Poor weather has thrown the schedule into disarray, testing logistics amid Bengal's winter haze and spotlighting the challenges of campaigning in fog-prone regions.
Rally preparations overshadowed by deadly train mishap
Tensions escalated early morning near Taherpur Railway Station, where Train No. 31814 (Krishnanagar–Sealdah Local) struck several men, killing three and leaving others critically injured at Krishnanagar Hospital. Eyewitnesses and officials suggest victims were supporters bused in from distant districts for the PM's rally, camped out amid chaotic overnight arrangements lacking safety measures or crowd control.
The incident unfolds against BJP's aggressive push in West Bengal ahead of potential polls, with the "Parivartan Sankalpa Sabha" aiming to rally crowds for change. Reports describe herded gatherings resembling "sheep and cattle," amplifying risks in the pre-dawn rush.
TMC's scathing attack on BJP
Trinamool Congress unleashed a blistering Twitter assault, pinning the deaths squarely on BJP's "vanity" and Modi's "ego." The post decries the mobilization as a deadly gamble: "People were brought in from other districts... Three people are dead... They paid with their lives to feed the ego of ONE MAN and the vanity of ONE PARTY."
TMC demands an official apology from the "Pradhan Sevak" and his resignation, framing BJP's politics as a pattern of "death and devastation" wherever they campaign. "The blood trail leads straight to Delhi," the tweet warns, urging accountability from the top amid accusations of prioritizing spectacle over human lives. This salvo deepens the BJP-TMC rift in Bengal's charged political arena.
