Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s planned visit to the renowned Guruvayur Temple in Thrissur, Kerala, was cancelled on Monday due to adverse weather conditions, officials confirmed.
According to a statement from the Kerala Public Relations Department (PRD), the Vice President’s helicopter, en route to the Sree Krishna College helipad, had to return to Kochi after encountering heavy rain.
Following the cancellation, Dhankhar is expected to depart for New Delhi at 12:35 pm today.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier issued a yellow alert for all districts in Kerala, forecasting moderate rain in Thrissur. The Met Centre also predicted strong surface winds of up to 50 kmph over South Peninsular India in the coming days, along with light to moderate rainfall across Kerala and neighboring regions.
Vice President Dhankhar arrived in Kochi on Sunday for a two-day visit. He was received at Cochin International Airport by Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and State Industries Minister P Rajeev, accompanied by his wife, Sudesh Dhankhar.
As per the original schedule, Dhankhar was to offer prayers at the Guruvayur Temple and later interact with students and faculty at the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) in Kochi.
Last week, the Vice President addressed a gathering at the ‘Sneh Milan Samaroh’ in Jaipur, where he emphasised that national interest must transcend party lines.
“When we travel abroad, we do not represent a party — we represent Bharat. Political differences may exist, but there is no room for personal animosity,” Dhankhar had said, underlining unity on issues of national importance.
