Nepali Congress leader and Parliamentarian Gagan Thapa criticised Sushma Swaraj for the comments (File)
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today apologised for saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed lakhs of "Indians" in Nepal's Janakpur recently. She tweeted an apology after Twitter users, including a parliamentarian from Nepal, pointed out that PM Modi addressed Nepali people in Janakpur earlier this month and not Indians. "This was a mistake on my part. I sincerely apologise for this," Ms Swaraj tweeted tonight along with a video of her comments about PM Modi's efforts to reach out to the Indian diaspora abroad, including in Nepal.
Earlier addressing a press conference on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the NDA government, Ms Swaraj said no Prime Minister before PM Modi had tried to reach out to the Indian diaspora at such a large scale.
"Narendra Modi is the first prime minister of the country who has from America's Madison Square to Janakpur (in Nepal) addressed lakhs of Indians and reached out to them," Ms Swaraj had said.
Nepali Congress leader and Parliamentarian Gagan Thapa criticised Ms Swaraj for the comments and wondered whether it was a "casual undermining of Nepal's sovereignty".
"Regrettable that India's External Affairs Minister @SushmaSwaraj described Janakpur's population that @narendramodi greeted as Indians. One wonders what the confusion was, or if this was casual undermining of Nepal's sovereignty," he tweeted.