Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a public rally in Bhubaneswar on Friday, revealed that he had turned down an invitation from United States President Donald Trump to visit Washington, choosing instead to visit Odisha — a land he described as sacred due to its association with Lord Jagannath.
Modi shared that while attending the G7 Summit in Canada, he received a phone call from President Trump, who invited him to Washington for a bilateral discussion and lunch. However, the Prime Minister politely declined the offer, explaining that he had prior plans to travel to Odisha. “I expressed my gratitude for the invitation,” Modi said, “but I told him that I had to be in Odisha, the land of Lord Jagannath.”
The Prime Minister was in the state to participate in the first anniversary celebrations of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) first-ever government in Odisha. Marking the occasion, he also launched a series of developmental projects worth more than ₹18,600 crore, underscoring his government’s commitment to the state’s progress and infrastructure growth.
