Gujarat Health Minister Nitin Patel today tendered an apology in the state Assembly for his "objectionable and inappropriate" remarks made against a woman MLA of opposition Congress.
Patel apologised to Congress MLA Kamini Rathod saying that whatever he said yesterday was objectionable and inappropriate, especially as he holds a senior position in the government.
"Though the issue was settled yesterday after the Speaker's intervention, I decided to tender my unconditional apology on the whole issue today, as I felt that my comments towards Rathod were objectionable and not appropriate," Patel told the Assembly.
The Minister also said he should not have used such harsh and unnecessary language against the woman legislator.
"Rathod is woman and a first-time MLA, whereas it is my fifth term as MLA and I am also a senior minister. Therefore, I have a greater responsibility. Though no one has sought my apology, I express my sincere apology over the whole issue before the House," said Patel.
Rathod, who represents Dehgam constituency, while speaking on the motion of thanks on Governor's address yesterday, had alleged that BJP government in the state had incurred "unnecessary" expenditure by organising DGPs and IGs meet in Dhordo of Rann of Kutch, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present.
This had led to a war of words between Patel and Rathod and the minister said that if he exposed what was going on in her constituency and her house, she would not even come to the Assembly.
However, terming it as an open 'threat' to a woman MLA, other Congress legislators staged protests in the House demanding apology from the minister. The Congress legislators were suspended from the morning session of the Assembly yesterday for creating ruckus.
The issue was later resolved after both the leaders withdrew their statements, which were eventually deleted from the official records.
