Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed that he turned down an invitation from US President Donald Trump to visit Washington, opting instead to return to Odisha, which he referred to as the “land of sacred Mahaprabhu.”
Speaking at a public rally in Bhubaneswar, Modi said, “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. 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.”
Watch PM Modi’s address in Odisha here:
जनसेवा और जनविश्वास को समर्पित सरकार की पहली वर्षगांठ पर ओडिशा के सभी परिवारजनों का वंदन-अभिनंदन। आपकी आकांक्षाओं पर खरा उतरने के लिए डबल इंजन सरकार दिन-रात मेहनत कर रही है। जय जगन्नाथ! https://t.co/G7sSPPOSMh
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 20, 2025
The Prime Minister is in Odisha to mark the first anniversary of the BJP government in the state. It was his sixth visit to Odisha since June 2024, during which he launched 105 development projects worth over ₹18,600 crore and unveiled the “Odisha Vision Document.” These projects include key initiatives in drinking water, irrigation, rural infrastructure, national highways, and health facilities.
In Bihar, PM Modi Slams RJD-Congress for ‘Parivaarvaad’ and Jungle Raj
From Bhubaneswar, Modi headed to Siwan in Bihar, where he addressed a massive rally and launched ₹10,000 crore worth of development projects. He took aim at the RJD-Congress alliance, calling out what he termed as “dynastic politics” and accusing them of promoting family over the welfare of the people.
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“We say ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ but the RJD and Congress believe in ‘Parivaar ka saath, parivaar ka vikas’. Congress’s licence raj was responsible for poverty in India. While families of its leaders became rich, people remained poor,” Modi said.
He added that Dalit and backward communities were the worst affected under their regimes and also targeted RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav over an incident involving alleged disrespect to BR Ambedkar’s portrait. “RJD insulted Babasaheb Ambedkar. People of Bihar will never forgive its leaders,” he declared.
Highlighting the state’s struggle with poverty, corruption, lawlessness, and migration, the Prime Minister blamed the Congress-RJD governments for Bihar’s economic challenges. He urged voters to remain cautious, saying, “The Congress and RJD are responsible for poverty and the migration of labourers from Bihar. The ‘panja’ and ‘lantern’ together have hurt the pride of Bihar.”
This was Modi’s fifth visit to Bihar in five months, underlining the BJP-JD(U) alliance’s intensified campaign ahead of the upcoming elections.
