Rashtrapatni row: What Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury wrote in his apology letter to President Murmu

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury stuck to his oft-repeated script as he tendered a written apology to President Droupadi Murmu over his Rashtrapatni remark. In the apology letter, he said the utterance of the word was a slip of the tongue. He regretted using an "incorrect word" to describe her position.

"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 apologize and request you to accept the same," he wrote.

Chowdhury has been maintaining that his referring to the President as Rashtrapatni was a slip of tongue. The BJP has accused him of deliberately insulting Murmu.  

"It was not a slip of tongue. If you watch the clip, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury clearly (referred to President Murmu as) 'Rashtrapati' twice, then he called her `Rashtrapatni," Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said today. 

Chowdhury had blamed his bad Hindi for the controversy. 

On Thursday, BJP sought to corner Congress President Sonia Gandhi claiming she had sanctioned the use of such language for the President. 

Earlier today, Chowdhury said he might be arrested under UAPA. 

"I am waiting for the BJP to call me a terrorist and arrest me under UAPA. They want to become champions of the tribals but hide how murders are happening. Laws brought under Sonia Gandhi are being changed. They are working against tribals," he said. 

With inputs from ANI