'Express My Regret': Adhir Chowdhury Writes Apology To President Murmu

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Friday submitted a written apology to President Droupadi Murmu amid a huge uproar over him addressing her as "Rashtrapatni" during a television interview. Chowdhury said it was a "slip of the tongue" and expressed his regret for it.

NDTV quoted Chowdhury's apology letter as saying, "I am writing to express my regret for having mistakenly used an incorrect word to describe the position you hold. I assure you that it was a slip of the tongue. I apologise and request you to accept the same."

Chowdhury's remark had sparked an uproar in the Parliament with the BJP demanding action against him by the Congress party. Union minister Smriti Irani and Congress president Sonia Gandhi too had an argument in the Lok Sabha over the issue. BJP MPs raised slogans of 'Sonia Gandhi maafi maango (Sonia Gandhi, apologise)" and Irani accused the Congress of being 'anti-tribals', 'anti-women' and 'anti-poor' over Chowdhury's 'Rashtrapatni' remark.

Also read: What Led To Spat Between Sonia Gandhi and Smriti Irani in Parliament

Chowdhury had earlier publicly apologised for his remark by saying he made a mistake since Hindi was not his native language.

Chowdhury has been summoned by the National Commission for Women on August 3 where he has to write an explanation of why he made the remark. He also faces an FIR in Madhya Pradesh's Dindori that was filed on complaints from BJP workers. Chowdhury has been charged under Sections 153 (B) of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with "assertions prejudicial to national integration," and 505 (A), which deals with "statements conducive to public mischief."