Tharoor admits mistake on PM Modi’s speech, says sorry

New Delhi, Mar 27: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor apologised for getting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's views on Bangladesh wrong.

The Congress and the BJP on Friday sparred over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remark that he did satyagraha for Bangladesh's freedom, with the opposition party questioning the statement's veracity and the ruling party asserting that it was true.

Addressing the main golden jubilee celebrations of Bangladesh's Independence and the birth centenary of its founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Dhaka in the presence of his counterpart Sheikh Hasina and President Abdul Hamid, PM Modi recalled the 1971 war and said the pictures of atrocities that the Pakistan Army inflicted on the people in then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) used to disturb people in India.

"I must have been 20-22 years old when I and my colleagues did satyagraha for Bangladesh's freedom," he said.

Tharoor said in a tweet today, I don't mind admitting when I'm wrong. Yesterday, on the basis of a quick reading of headlines &tweets, I tweeted "everyone knows who liberated Bangladesh," implying that @narendramodi had omitted to acknowledge IndiraGandhi. It turns out he did. Sorry!

On Friday, tagging the prime minister's remarks, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said, "International education: our PM is giving Bangladesh a taste of Indian "fake news". The absurdity is that everyone knows who liberated Bangladesh."