Modi cancels Bodh Gaya visit during Gaya trip

Patna, Aug 8:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cancelled his scheduled visit to Bodh Gaya for “reasons best known to the people concerned” during his trip to Gaya in Bihar on Sunday, an official said on Saturday.

Modi will address a rally in Gaya, about 100 km from here, ahead of the upcoming state assembly polls.

“Modi will not visit Bodh Gaya’s Mahabodhi temple on his way to the airport, which is not far away from Bodh Gaya. His programme to visit Bodh Gaya was cancelled and the reason is best known to the concerned people,” an official in Gaya said.

Bodh Gaya, a holy place for Buddhists, is about 12 km from Gaya town and two kilometre from the international airport.

Modi will arrive in Gaya by a special plane to address his second rally after a public meeting in Muzaffarpur on July 25.

A senior police official in Gaya said Modi’s proposed visit to Bodh Gaya was changed because of paucity of time. Another district official said security arrangements have been tightened in Bodh Gaya and a team of security personnel inspected the area.

A Buddhist monk in Bodh Gaya said Modi’s visit would have send a positive signal to Buddhist countries as it was rocked by serial bomb blasts in July 2013.

At least 10 bombs had exploded in the vicinity of the temple that hit the national and international headlines. (IANS)