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

Addressing a rally in Bhubaneswar, Modi said, "I was in Canada for the G7 Summit when US President Trump had called me 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."

Modi participated in the first anniversary function of the BJP's maiden government in the state and launched development projects worth over Rs 18,600 crore.

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