PM Narendra Modi's Bodh Gaya visit cancelled

Patna: 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.