Declined Trump's invite to US for Odisha visit: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he declined an invitation from US President Donald Trump to visit Washington, and instead chose to visit Odisha, which he called the land of "Mahaprabhu", for an event to mark one year of the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state.

- Debabrata Mohanty

BHUBANESWAR:

At the event, held in Bhubaneswar, Modi also hailed the chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi-led government in the state, saying that the completion of one year of the first-ever BJP government in Odisha was not just a political milestone, but "an anniversary of good governance and public trust".

"During my visit, US President Donald Trump called me and said 'since you're already in Canada, why not come to Washington too? Let's have a meal and talk.' He extended a warm invitation. I respectfully told the President of the United States, 'Thank you for your kind invitation, but it is essential for me to go to the sacred land of Mahaprabhu'. And so, I humbly declined his offer, because your love and the devotion to Mahaprabhu drew me irresistibly to this holy land," he said.