BJP president Rajnath Singh couldn’t address the villagers of Shillai in Sirmaur district but the villagers heard him all right.

The weather didn’t allow Singh’s helicopter to take off, so he dialled the number of a campaign worker in Shillai, asked him to place his cellphone near the microphone and began his speech.

“Main is waqt Shimla ke Jubbarhatti Airport se bol raha hun. Baarish aur kharab mausam ki wajah se hamara helicopter Shillai pahunchne mein asamarth hai. Lekin main aap se wada karta hoon ki election ke baad wahaan zaroor aaunga (Due to bad weather, the helicopter can’t take off but I promise to come after elections),” he began. The next ten minutes he devoted to issues of development and corruption.

The 2,000-odd people who turned up for the rally listened attentively, transfixed by the style if not content of his speech.