New Delhi:
Bollywood actor Om Puri has apologised for his "derogatory and defamatory" remarks against MPs at the Ramlila Maidan where Anna Hazare was sitting on his hunger strike against corruption. He said he wasn't drunk as some people had said, just emotionally charged.
"I just said two words -- anpadh (uneducated) and ganwaar (illiterate) in the heat of the moment. If they find this objectionable, I am ready to apologise," he said.
Earlier on Monday, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar said she was considering a privilege motion against the actor.
"The matter is under my consideration. I have received notices on the question of privilege," Ms Kumar said in the Lok Sabha.
Congress MPs Praveen Singh Aron, Jagdambika Pal, Vinay Pandey, Harsh Vardhan, PL Punia and Kamal Kishor, as well as Mirza Mehboob Beg (National Conference) and Ramashankar Rajbhar (Bahujan Samaj Party) have given notices against Om Puri for using "derogatory and defamatory words against members of the Parliament and also casting reflections on the house".
The Samajwadi Party's Premdas Katheria and Shailendra Kumar have also given notices against the Bollywood actor.
Om Puri had launched a blistering attack last week on politicians from the stage at Ramlila Maidan where Anna Hazare was sitting on his hunger strike against corruption. Mr Puri told the thousands gathered that he feels "ashamed when an IAS or IPS officer salutes a
ganwaar (illiterate)
neta (political leader).
"
Yeh anpadh hain, inka kya background hai? Aadhe se zyaada MP ganwaar hain... (They are uneducated, what's their background? More than half of the MPs are illiterate)," Om Puri, known for his character roles, had said to the cheering crowd.