Rains force Modi to cancel Varanasi trip again

Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's one-day visit to his parliamentary constituency Varanasi was cancelled on Thursday following heavy rains -- and the death of a labourer setting up the stage from where he was set to address a public rally, the BJP said.

Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said a new date would be picked later. 

"The monsoon is active in eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh. A labourer was electrocuted at the venue where the prime minister was to address a rally. The visit has been put off," Pathak told IANS.

After the labourer from West Bengal was electrocuted, district officials switched off the power supply to the venue.

This is the third time Modi's trip to Varanasi has been cancelled. On all three times, bad weather was the reason.

In October last year, Modi's visit was shelved due to a cyclone. Again, the trip was cancelled last month due to a downpour.