PM Modi cancels Bodh Gaya visit

Modi will address a rally in Gaya ahead of the upcoming state assembly polls

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bodh Gaya during his trip to Gaya in Bihar on Sunday has been cancelled, 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. His programme to visit Bodh Gaya was cancelled...," 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 have inspected the area.

A Buddhist monk in Bodh Gaya said Modi's visit would have sent a positive signal to Buddhist countries as the temple premises were rocked by serial bomb blasts in July 2013.