BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha was in Jharkhand to promote his book (File photo)
Outspoken BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha has often been tuned out by his party during his bursts of rebellion. But on Thursday, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das just couldn't ignore his party colleague's request for an "airlift" from Jamshedpur.
The actor-politician was in the state to promote his book when he experienced, first hand, the poor state of roads on his way from capital Ranchi to Jamshedpur over 100 km away; they were full of potholes and almost impossible to drive on in parts.
"It was like jogging on the road," he told NDTV, describing his journey.
On his way back, the 70-year-old decided to ditch the bumpy ride and called the chief minister, who is a lawmaker from a constituency in Jamshedpur.
Mr Das immediately dispatched a chopper and his minister Louis Marandi to pick up Mr Sinha - popularly known as Shotgun - and fly him to Ranchi.
When asked about the state of the roads, another minister Saroy Rai, who is also a BJP lawmaker from Jamshedpur, conceded that despite protests and several reminders to the union government, nothing has changed.
"Now we are used to these roads," Mr Rai told NDTV. He said when his party was in the opposition, Mr Das and he had campaigned together for better roads and had also faced several court cases.