Shashi Tharoor expresses regret and accepts Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mention of Indira Gandhi in Dhaka. During a speech in Dhaka on Friday, the Congress MP Sashi Tharoor suggested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had failed to remember former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Tharoor apologised, saying, "It turns out he did."
Modi is in Bangladesh to celebrate the country's 50th anniversary of independence.
According to media reports, the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was remembered for her "contribution" to the country's independence.
What role did India play in the development of Bangladesh?
Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan on March 26, 1971, when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman issued a proclamation.
- Pakistani tanks were stationed in Dhaka, killing a large number of students and intellectuals, with death toll figures ranging from 300,000 to 3,000,000.
- During this period, India, led by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, lent moral, military, and diplomatic support to Bangladesh's struggle for independence.
Indira Gandhi sought to draw international attention to the genocide that was taking place at the time.
Tharoor expressed remorse for the oversight.
"I'm not afraid to confess that I'm wrong. I tweeted yesterday, "everyone knows who liberated Bangladesh," suggesting that @narendramodi had forgotten to remember Indira Gandhi, based on a quick search of headlines and tweets. It turns out he did: Please accept my apologies."
"'Indira Gandhi's contribution to Bangladesh's independence is publicly recognised," Modi said.
On a two-day tour, Modi is in Dhaka.
Modi arrived in Dhaka on a two-day visit to mark the country's golden jubilee of independence and the birth centenary of Bangabandhu' Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, as well as hold talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina.
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