The Bharatiya Janata Party has demanded an apology from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for praising the British colonial rule during his speech on Friday at the Oxford University.

Dr Singh had said that the colonial rule had beneficial consequences for India.

"Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has insulted the sentiments of one hundred million proud Indians by lavishing praise on the British colonial rule. He owes an apology to the nation and should explain the context under which he made such comments," BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told rediff.com over phone from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh.

Dr Singh has reportedly become the first Indian prime minister to have praised the British for good governance. 

''The high praise showered on the British has insulted the freedom fighters who gave their lives to free India from the British colonial rule,'' Naqvi said.

Dr Singh is returning to India on Saturday night after attending a meeting of G-8 countries in the United Kingdom.