In Odisha, PM Modi says he declined Donald Trump’s invite to US due to THIS reason – ‘very important for me to go to…’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday, June 20, that he had declined an invitation from US President Donald Trump to visit Washington and had instead chosen to visit Odisha, the sacred land of Lord Jagannath.

PM Modi arrived in Odisha on June 20, a day after returning from his five-day trip to Cyprus, Canada, and Croatia.

“Just two days ago, I was in Canada for the G7 summit and the US President Trump called me. He said, since you have come to Canada, go via Washington, we will have dinner together and talk. He extended the invitation with great insistence. I told the US President, thank you for the invitation,” Modi said, speaking at a public event in Bhubaneswar.

From Canada, PM Modi travelled to Croatia on June 18 before returning to India on June 20.

President Trump had invited PM Modi to meet during his current visit to the USA, but due to a pre-existing schedule, PM Modi was unable to accept the invitation. Both leaders agreed to meet in the near future, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on June 18.

Trump's lunch meeting with General Munir

The phone call comes hours before US President Donald Trump's lunch meeting with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, General Asim Munir. Trump welcomed General Munir to the White House on Wednesday. Praising Munir for preventing the escalation of the conflict between India and Pakistan, Trump said, “Reason I had him here was I wanted to thank him for not going into the war and ending it...”

"It is very important for me to go to the land of Mahaprabhu and hence I politely declined his invitation and your love and devotion to Mahaprabhu brought me to this land," Modi said in Odisha on Friday.

The prime minister chaired the state-level function at Bhubaneswar to commemorate the completion of one year of the Government of Odisha on Friday evening.

PM Modi also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over ₹18,600 crore. These projects will cover critical sectors including drinking water, irrigation, agricultural infrastructure, health infrastructure, rural roads and bridges, sections of national highways, and a new railway line.

(With PTI inputs)