Kerala Public Works Minister G Sudhakaran on Thursday apologised to World Bank’s senior infrastructure specialist Bernard Aritua who he had called a “Negro”, The Indian Express reported. Sudhakaran said that he didn’t know that the word was “banned” in United States.

Artiua is associated with a road development project in Kerala that is aided by the World Bank. The incident took place on Monday when Sudhakaran alleged that the Kerala State Transport Project was a “corrupt” one and the officials of the World Bank were responsible for it, The Indian Express reported.

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He made remark during a public function in Kasargod. “Their [World Bank] team leader is an African-American. That means he belongs to the race of Obama. He is a Negro,” said the minister.

In November 2016, there were reports that the World Bank had decided to withdraw from the project as the second phase had missed several milestones and completion target. However, in February this year, Sudhakaran and Artiua told the media that the World Bank will continue to fund the project, The News Minute reported.

Sudhakaran later apologised, saying he heard the word being used in the Assembly. “I did not know that one should not use the term “Negro”. “Never meant to demean the official,” he told Manorama.“I will apologise to the officer in writing. I have never thought to insult him, I was using the word generally, as we use caste names like Nair, Brahmins in Kerala.”

This is not the first time that Sudhakaran has found himself in a foot-in-the-mouth kind of situation. In May this year, the minister had said if men were to engage in farming, the number of rape cases would automatically come down. “He will be busy with farming and won’t get time to think of rape,” he had said.