BhubaneswarJun 20, 2025 23:02 IST
First published on: Jun 20, 2025 at 18:06 IST
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday he declined US President Donald Trump’s invitation to Washington because he had to visit “the land of Mahaprabhu” – Lord Jagannath’s Odisha.
Addressing a gathering in Bhubaneswar to mark one year of the BJP government in Odisha, Modi said, “Recently I was in Canada for the G7 Summit. US President Trump called me and requested I visit Washington. He proposed to have food together and to have a lot of discussions. I thanked him for his invitation and told him that visiting the land of Mahaprabhu was more important for me. So, I humbly declined his invitation.”
He said the love of the people of Odisha and his devotion to Mahaprabhu drew him to Odisha.
Noting that the BJP government in Odisha is completing one year at a time when the state is gearing for the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, Modi said issues related to Shri Mandir (Jagannath Temple) have been resolved (by the BJP government) with the Lord’s blessings.
“All the four gates of Jagannath Temple were opened immediately after the formation of the government. The Ratna Bhandar (the treasure trove) of the temple has also been opened. These were done not to score political brownie points. These were done to respect the sentiments of crores of people,” he said.
Issues like non-opening of all the four gates of Jagannath Temple (which were closed since the Covid pandemic) and the safety of Ratna Bhandar were among the major issues of the BJP during the 2024 election campaign, targeting the then BJD government.
Even the Prime Minister had raised the issue of Ratna Bhandar in his election rallies, stating that the keys of the treasure trove were sent to Tamil Nadu – he was targeting VK Pandian, a former bureaucrat and close aide of Naveen Patnaik.
On Friday, Modi hit out at the Congress’s development model and said though the party ruled the country for decades, there was neither good governance nor did it make people’s lives easy.
“The identity of the Congress’s development model was to derail and divert development projects and indulge in massive corruption,” he said, adding that the country has now been witness to the BJP’s development model for many years.
Citing the example of states like Assam and Tripura, he said a new phase of development has been ushered in these states where the BJP formed the government for the first time.
“The situation in Assam was very bad a decade ago. There was instability, militancy and violence. The state has been marching ahead in the path of development today. Militancy activities don’t exist now. Assam is ahead of many leading states now. Today, Tripura has also been an example of peace and progress,” he said.
“As a result of our policies, the number of Naxal-affected districts has reduced to less than 20 today,” Modi said, adding that the pace at which action is being taken, tribal areas will be free of violence soon.
“Naxalism will be eliminated in the country and it’s Modi’s guarantee,” he said.
In the context of Odisha, he said people of Odisha are getting benefits of the “double engine” (BJP in power at the Centre and the state).
He unveiled the Odisha Vision document, a roadmap to make the state prosperous by 2036, when it will complete 100 years of its formation. He also launched development projects worth Rs 19,000 crore in the state.
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