A BJP MLA from Gujarat on Monday caused a flutter stating Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was a member of an "aatankwadi" (terrorist) wing. He apologised while blaming the incorrect translation for the mistake.
The MLA, Yogesh R Patel (Bapji), said the wrong words were posted on social media due to an error while translating from English to Gujarati.
As a tribute to Bose on his birth anniversary, Patel shared a post in Gujarati on his Facebook page which said, "Bose was a member of aatankwadi pankh" (wing). He participated in the civil disobedience movement as a Congress leader, and was known for advocating socialist policies".
After the Anand MLA was alerted by some people about the choice of words, he quickly deleted the post.
"I condemn BJP MLA Yogeshbhai for terming Subhash Chandra Bose a terrorist. It is not enough to delete the post. Even if it was posted by mistake, Patel must tender a public apology," Gujarat AAP president Isudan Gadhvi said.
Patel issued a statement saying, "wrong words were posted due to an error in translation from English to Gujarati".
"The person handling my account took an English text about Bose and put it on my page after doing an online translation. By mistake, a wrong word was chosen and got posted. I apologise for this mistake," he said.