Former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi on Monday issued an apology to the Indian government, days after he referred to himself and liquor baron Vijay Mallya as the two “biggest fugitives” in a viral video, a comment that was widely perceived as a swipe at India.
In a post on X, Modi, however, did not clearly specify what exactly he was apologising for. “I apologise if I have hurt anyone feelings especially the Indian Government who I have the highest respect and regard for. The statement was misconstrued and was never intended to be as played out. Once again my deepest apologies,” he wrote. The apology came after a video showing Modi at Mallya’s lavish birthday party in London went viral last week. In the clip, Modi was heard saying, “We are the two fugitives, the biggest fugitives of India.” Modi had himself shared the video on Instagram, captioning it, “Let me do something to break the internet down again. Something for you folks. Wat your heart out with envy (sic).”
The post triggered sharp reactions online, with several users accusing Modi and Mallya of making a “mockery of the Indian government” and the country’s legal system. Following the backlash, Modi deleted the video from his social media account. Reacting indirectly to the controversy sparked by Modi’s remarks, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterated India’s position that those wanted by law would be brought back to face justice. “We remain fully committed that people who are fugitives, who are wanted by law in India, they return to the country. For this particular return, we are in talks with several governments, and processes are on. In several of these cases, there are several layers of legalities involved. But we remain committed to bringing them back to the country so that they can face trial before the courts here,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
