Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday revealed why he declined US President Donald Trump’s invitation to visit Washington DC.
The Prime Minister, who was in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar addressing a public rally, said he had to return to the “holy land of Lord Jagannath.” PM Modi launched several development projects for the state worth over Rs 18,600 crore.
PM Modi Attends G7 Summit
PM Modi was in Canada, where he attended the G7 Summit and held various bilateral meetings. He met with several heads of various countries, including the Prime Minister of Canada, French President Emmanuel Macron and the UK Prime Minister.
President Trump, who also attended the G7 summit, cut short his trip amid the escalating Middle East situation. PM Modi was scheduled to meet Trump on the sidelines of the summit.
PM Modi on Why He Declined Trump’s Invitation
Trump, while speaking to Modi on a phone call, invited PM Modi to visit the White House when the president was hosting Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.
“I was in Canada for the G7 Summit when US President Trump called and invited me to Washington for a discussion and lunch. I thanked him for the invitation, saying I have to visit Odisha, the land of Lord Jagannath. I humbly rejected his invitation,” PM Modi said in his speech while addressing the public event.
PM Modi was in Odisha to participate in the first anniversary celebrations of the BJP government in the state.
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
