NEW DELHI: Facing a backlash for belittling actor-politician Jaya Bachchan, Rajya Sabha MP and
BJP leader
Naresh Agarwal on Tuesday offered his regrets but said his comments were twisted by the media.
Agarwal, who lost out to Bachchan in the race for re-nomination to the upper house and on Monday quit the
Samajwadi Party to join the BJP, had said at a press conference that the SP denied him the RS ticket and gave it to somebody who used to dance and act in films.
"My intention was not to hurt anybody's sentiments. I regret if my comment has hurt somebody's feelings and withdraw my words," he said on Tuesday.
He also claimed that the media had twisted his comments.
His comments invited strong criticism from many BJP leaders, including
Sushma Swaraj, who said they were "improper and unacceptable".
