India, June 20 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday revealed that he respectfully declined an invitation from the U.S. President Donald Trump during his recent overseas tour, choosing instead to honor his commitment to the people of Odisha.

Addressing a massive public gathering at Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar to mark the first anniversary of the BJP government in Odisha, PM Modi shared the circumstances behind his decision not to detour to the United States following his participation in the G7 Summit in Canada.

"President Donald Trump called and invited me to visit the United States on my way back from Canada. With humility and respect, I declined, as I was already scheduled to be here today-in the sacred land of Lord Jagannath...