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Updated December 24th, 2022 at 08:04 IST

TMC's Kirti Azad apologises for 'unintentional remark' on PM Modi's traditional attire

TMC leader Kirti Azad has issued an apology over his remark mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attire and said that his statement was "misconstrued"

Reported by: Ajay Sharma
Kirti Azad
Image: PTI/Twitter | Image:self
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Trinamool Congress leader Kirti Azad has issued an apology over his remark mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attire and said that his statement was "misconstrued". Notably, Azad's apology came after TMC distanced itself from its leader's unsavoury remark on the Prime Minister's traditional attire.

"My recent tweet was misconstrued. It hurt the sentiments of the people. To them I say sorry. Have immense respect and pride for our diverse cultures. I regret the hurt caused by my unintentional remark. I reiterate my pledge to work to uphold our constitutional values always. Upon reflecting on the concerns raised by the people, I reiterate my pledge to work towards upholding our constitutional values at every step," Azad said in a series of tweets on Friday.

The former Indian cricketer, Azad called himself a "soldier" of TMC and said that he has always followed the path laid down by the constitution "which calls for respecting and honouring our diversity". "Anything that appears like an inadvertent digression from that path is absolutely regrettable," Kirti Azad said.

TMC condemns Kirti Azad's remark

Earlier on Wednesday, Azad had shared an image on Twitter comparing PM Modi's traditional tribal attire that the Prime Minister wore during the Meghalaya visit with a female model's dress and made an objectionable remark against the PM by calling him "priest of fashion."

Condemning its leader's remark, TMC said that they do not support Azad's comment and "strongly condemn it". "Proudly, we celebrate the ethnic traditions of diverse people and strive to empower them. We do not support Kirti Azad's comments & strongly condemn it. His remarks do not reflect the party's views," CM Mamata Banerjee's party tweeted.

Notably, after Azad sparked controversy by mocking PM Modi's tribal attire, the BJP has been attacking the TMC leader. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma called Azad's mockery an "unpatriotic thing and against the culture of India."

On the other hand, the party's national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla urged Scheduled Tribe Commission to take action on this matter. "The attire worn by the Prime Minister during the Meghalaya visit is a very traditional attire which holds much pride among the people of the tribal community, particularly Meghalaya and northeast. To mock this, just because you hate one person, you start hating the entire culture of the northeast, the entire tribal community of the northeast," Poonawalla told Republic.

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Published December 24th, 2022 at 08:04 IST

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