BJP general secretary Ram Madhav apologises for his Akhand Bharat remark saying it was made in context of a cultural union. He said he was however sad that his comments took away from PM Modi's visit to Pakistan. 

In an interview to India Today, Ram Madhav hit out at his detractors and has categorically mentioned that he is saddened that his  comments were used to diminish the PM's visit by critics. "My comments were made in an interview to Al Jazeera much before the PM's visit to Pakistan. To present my views on Akhand Bharat as RSS' attempt to sabotage the peace process is wrong", he added

A day after Ram Madhav set off a controversy with the idea of Akhand Bharat, or a greater India with Pakistan and Bangladesh, "through popular goodwill coming together," the BJP clarified that neither the party nor the party's government shared the view.

Party spokesperson M.J. Akbar said the text cannot be separated from the context. "A particular question was asked to him [Ram Madhav] to which he gave this reply. As far as the BJP and the NDA government are concerned, we consider India and Pakistan sovereign States and our position was best articulated by former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in Lahore."

Vajpayee had, in Lahore in 1999, described how he was being dissuaded from visiting the Minar-e-Pakistan, the country's national monument, as it would endorse the creation of that country.