Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday took to micro-blogging site Twitter to admit that he had made an error while commenting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments on Bangladesh. Tharoor tweeted that his response to the PM’s views on the Bangladesh war was based on just some hasty reading of newspaper headlines and thus erroneous.
The tweet by Tharoor came a day after the Congress leader on Twitter indicated that PM Modi had not acknowledged former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s contribution to help in liberating Bangladesh in 1971. Tharoor wrote, “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 Indira Gandhi. It turns out he did.”
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: https://t.co/YE5DMRzSB0 Sorry!— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) March 27, 2021
Tharoor had tweeted yesterday how PM Modi was “giving Bangladesh a taste of Indian “fake news”.
International education: our PM is giving Bangladesh a taste of Indian “fake news”. The absurdity is that everyone knows who liberated Bangladesh. https://t.co/ijjDRbszVd— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) March 26, 2021
The PM, during his speech in Dhaka on Bangladesh’s 50th anniversary, had said, “I was 20-22 years old when I, along with my friends, did Satyagrah for the freedom of Bangladesh. I had even been arrested for the same.”
Addressing Bangladesh’s 50th Independence anniversary at the National Parade Square, Modi recalled the role played by Indian Army in the freedom war and said the blood of those who fought for their liberation and the blood of Indian soldiers are flowing together and this blood will form such a relationship that will not break down under any type of pressure.
Modi had said both India and Bangladesh have the power of democracy and vision for the future, and it is necessary for the region the two countries progress together. “That is why Indian and Bangladeshi governments are making meaningful efforts in this direction.”
Bangladesh became independent from Pakistan after an India-Pakistan war in 1971. The war in 1971 broke after the sudden crackdown at midnight passed on March 25, 1971, in erstwhile East Pakistan by the Pakistani troops and ended on December 16. The same year Pakistan conceded defeat and unconditionally surrendered in Dhaka to the allied forces comprising the freedom fighters and the Indian soldiers.