Piyush Goyal says he 'made a mistake' on Albert Einstein and gravity

Union minister Piyush Goyal on Friday conceded that he committed a gaffe by crediting the discovery of gravity to Albert Einstein instead of Issac Newton.

The minister, who faced much trolling on social media for the mix-up, quoted Einstein to say that mistakes are not all that bad.

"Maths never helped Einstein discover gravity," Goyal had said while discussing the economy during a press conference on September 12.

Speaking at a function at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus here on Friday, the Union minister for commerce and railways said he made a mistake, and he admitted to it.

"We all get the opportunity to make mistakes. I said Einstein instead of Newton. The same Einstein had said, 'A person who never made a mistake, never tried anything new.'

"I am not someone who is afraid of making mistakes...the moment I realised my mistake, I made a clarification," the BJP leader said.

He said he was talking about the need to find innovative ways to build 5 trillion dollar economy in five years, of which exports would account for 20 per cent.

"Unfortunately, the context took a backseat and my inadvertent mistake was highlighted," he said.