During PM Modi’s speech in Dhaka on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the nation, on Friday, he’d 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."

“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”: Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Dhaka, Bangladesh pic.twitter.com/gKESaMrsRZ

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 26, 2021

Tharoor was quick to pick on the speech and slammed PM Modi for ‘spreading fake news.’ He wrote,”International education: our PM is  giving Bangladesh a taste of Indian “fake news”. The absurdity is that everyone knows who liberated Bangladesh.”

Here’s the tweet:

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

However, the Congress MP took to Twitter today to apologise for his earlier tweet. Tharoor admitted that he had made a mistake in criticising the PM’s speech earlier and that it had stemmed from ‘quick reading’ of headlines.

Tharoor’s main criticism of PM Modi’s speech in Bangladesh was based on the assumption that the PM had not acknowledged former PM Indira Gandhi’s role in liberating Bangladesh or erstwhile East Pakistan from Pakistan in 1971. His tweet was based on a report which claimed that PM Modi had said that he had held a Satyagraha for Bangladesh’s liberation and had even been jailed for it.

He wrote, “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. Sorry!”

Here’s the tweet:

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

Not just Tharoor, others were quick to pick on the remark too:

The claim that ANYONE did satyagraha for the freedom of Bangladesh and were arrested is too ridiculous to require refutation. https://t.co/yCDH20MtmG

— Srinath Raghavan (@srinathraghava3) March 26, 2021

PM Modi is on a tour to Bangladesh and was speaking on the occasion of the 50th Independence anniversary of the country at the National Parade Square. In his speech, he highlighted the role of the Indian Army in the war for Bangladesh’s freedom and remembered the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the cause.

Bangladesh won independence from Pakistan after a war between India and Pakistan broke out on March 25, 1971. The war ended on December 16. Following the loss in the war, Pakistan surrendered Dhaka to the allied forces.

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