The Congress’ leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Friday apologised to Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien for referring to him as a “foreigner”. He said that he made the remark inadvertently.

On Thursday, Chowdhury was asked by reporters to respond to O’Brien’s statement blaming him for seat-sharing negotiations between the Congress and Trinamool Congress failing in West Bengal. To this, he had said: “He is a foreigner, he knows a lot of things. Ask him.”

O’Brien had accused Chowdhury of working at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party and foiling any alliance between the Congress and Trinamool Congress, PTI reported.

“[There are] three reasons for the alliance not working in Bengal,” O’Brien told reporters in Delhi earlier on Thursday. “Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.”

On Wednesday, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee announced that her party would fight elections alone on all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal.

The Trinamool Congress is a part of the INDIA Alliance, an amalgamation of 28 Opposition parties that came together in July with the aim of defeating the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.