Guwahati, July 2 -- Congress leader Ajoy Kumar on Wednesday issued a clarification and apology after a video surfaced showing him mistakenly referring to Sikkim as a "neighbouring country," sparking sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and triggering a political row.

The remark, made during a press conference, drew strong reactions, particularly from the BJP's Sikkim unit, which called the statement ignorant and disrespectful.

Clarifying his comments, Kumar said, "Yesterday, during my press conference, while I was speaking about the deteriorating relations with our neighbouring countries, I mistakenly mentioned the name of a state. I sincerely apologise for this, as it was an unintentional human error - a slip of the to...