NEW DELHI: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday tweeted an apology after she mistakenly said that
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed lakhs of "Indians" in Nepal's
Janakpur.
The event in Janakpur during PM Modi's visit to the Himalayan nation earlier this month was organised by the Nepal government and not NRIs as the minister claimed in her remark.
"Narendra Modi is the first Prime Minister of the country who has from America's Madison Square to Nepal's Janakpur addressed lakhs of Indian..." she said during MEA's annual press conference where she was highlighting NDA government's achievement on its fourth anniversary.
The mistake raised several eyebrows in Nepal. Nepali Congress leader and Member of Parliament Gagan Thapa asked if it was "a casual undermining of Nepal's sovereignty".
"Regrettable that India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj described Janakpur’s population that Narendra Modi greeted as Indians. One wonders what the confusion was, or if this was a casual undermining of Nepal’s sovereignty. Either way, @IndiaInNepal, it is unacceptable," he tweeted.
PM Modi started his Nepal visit, earlier this month, by visiting the historical city of Janakpur, the birthplace of Sita. In the city, the PM was accorded a civic reception by the Janakpur Sub-Metropolitan City at Barhabigha ground.
