DMK MP Senthilkumar apologises in Lok Sabhha for controversial remark on heartland states: What we know so far

livemint.com:

MPs even before the Speaker started the proceeding for the day in the Lok Sabha. Union Minister Piyush Goyal sought an apology from DMK MP TR Baalu for Kumar's comments in the House. "He (Baalu) should first apologise.

He is their leader. The kind of remarks he made in this House! Balu should apologise first. How will the House function like this? How can any person say anything in this House and go?" Goyal said demanding an apology from the DMK MP.

Despite issuing a public apology on social media, Senthilkumar apologised once again in Lok Sabha on Wednesday. A day ago, he had called Hindi-speaking states ‘Gaumutra’ states while saying that the BJP's power is limited only to heartland states. "...the people of this country should think that the power of BJP of winning elections mainly lies in the Hindi heartland States, what we generally call as ...

States. You cannot come to South India! You can see what happened in election results in all the States of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and, Karnataka. We are very strong over there.

So we will not be surprised if you have an option of converting all these states into Union Territory...," the DMK MP had said. The DMK MP had subsequently in a post on social media apologised for his comments in the Lower House saying that he was not using the term with any "intent." "Commenting on the results of the five recent state assembly elections, I have used a word in an inappropriate way. Not using that term with any intent, I apologize for sending the wrong meaning across," Senthilkumar said in a post on 'X'.