The National Commission for Women on Sunday said that it would summon senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor for his “derogatory and degrading tweet on our pride” Miss World Manushi Chhillar.

Chhillar, from Haryana, was crowned the Miss World on Saturday, 17 years after Priyanka Chopra won the title. Chhillar is the sixth Indian to have won the title.

Soon after, Tharoor had said in a tweet that the government’s decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes in 2016 was a mistake. “BJP should have realised that Indian cash dominates the globe: look, even our Chhillar has become Miss World,” he tweeted.

The tweet was not received well by any, including the National Commission for Women. The commission condemned the tweet, and demanded an apology from the senior leader. “He degraded the achievement of daughter of Haryana and India, who got glory to the country. Will he call his own daughter chillar?” the commission asked.

Tharoor apologised after the uproar and said that he did not mean to offend the girl. “Guess the pun is the lowest form of humour, and the bilingual pun lower still! Apologies to the many who seem to have been righteously offended by a light-hearted tweet today,” Tharoor said.

He also reminded his followers that he had also praised the “bright young girl” for her answer during the Miss World competition.