Prime Minister Narendra Modi disclosed that he rejected an offer by former US President Donald Trump to visit Washington and decided to go back to what he referred to as the "holy land of Lord Jagannath."
During a public meeting in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, the Prime Minister made the revelation while speaking to the crowd during his visit to the state.
Modi had also recently visited Canada to be present at the G7 Summit, where he had met several world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron.
Trump called Modi during the summit and invited him formally for a Washington DC visit.
I was in Canada for the G7 Summit when US President Donald Trump called and asked me to come to Washington for a lunch and conversation. I thanked him for the invitation and said I have to go to Odisha, the abode of Lord Jagannath. I respectfully declined his invitation," Modi said in his speech.
This was the first time that Prime Minister Modi participated in celebrations for the BJP government's first anniversary in Odisha. He also inaugurated infrastructure and development projects worth over ₹18,600 crore as part of his tour.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri subsequently confirmed that in their conversation, Modi invited Trump to India for the next Quad Summit, which is scheduled to be held later this year.
While the two leaders were supposed to meet on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, their meeting was not possible as Trump left the event early with growing tensions between Iran and Israel.
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