Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kirti Azad on Friday apologised for his remark on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attire saying his party has always respected people from different ethnic backgrounds.
Taking to Twitter, the former Lok Sabha MP said his recent tweet was 'misconstrued'.
"My recent tweet was misconstrued. It hurt the sentiments of the people. To them I say sorry. I 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," he said.
He said the Trinamool Congress has always respected people from varied cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
"Upon reflecting on the concerns raised by the people, I reiterate my pledge to work towards upholding our constitutional values at every step. @AITCofficial has always respected people from varied backgrounds and I wholeheartedly espouse the values followed by our leaders," he said.
The TMC leader added that he has always followed the path laid down in the Constitution.
"As a soldier of the party, I have always followed the path laid down by our Constitution, which calls for respecting and honoring our diversity. Anything that appears like an inadvertent digression from that path is absolutely regrettable," he further said.
Azad, a former India cricketer who was a part of the country's 1983 World Cup campaign, posted a picture of PM Modi in the traditional tribal attire of Meghalaya and compared it with a women's dress.
After his remarks, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma lashed out at the TMC leader and accused him of 'disrespecting' the culture of Meghalaya and 'mocking' the state's tribal attire.
Sarma also asked TMC to clarify if it 'endorses' the views of Azad.
( With inputs from ANI )
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