In a massive public gathering in Bhubaneswar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he chose to visit Maha Prabhu’s Bhoomi – the “holy land of Lord Jagannath” over his invitation to visit the United States.
PM Modi graced the occasion to mark the one-year of the CM Mohan Majhi-led BJP government with his presence in Odisha.
In his address post the roadshow, PM Modi revealed that it was during his recent visit to Canada to attend the G7 summit, President Donald Trump telephoned him to enquire if the PM would visit Washington DC officially.
“PM Modi invited Mr Trump to visit India for the Quad Summit to be held later this year,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in a statement.
PM Modi during his visit to Canada he made sure to meet with several heads including French President Emmanuel Macron.
At the public event dotted by people in hundreds and thousands, PM Modi said, “I received the invitation from President Trump at G7 summit for a discussion and lunch. I thanked the President for the invitation and humbly declined it saying I have to visit Odisha, the land of Lord Jagannath.”
It might be mentioned that PM Modi is in Odisha to mark the first anniversary celebrations of the BJP government. As part of the occasion, he launched Rs. 18,600 crore worth of projects.
Modi and Trump were slated for a meet in Canada on the sidelines of the G7 Summit. It is learnt that Trump left halfway through the Summit amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran.
