Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has "expressed regret" for his "Hindu terror" remark made last month, in a statement designed to assuage a livid BJP, which had threatened to disrupt Parliament and boycott the minister if he did not apologise.
Here's the full text of the statement:
My statement given in Jaipur last month has created a misunderstanding. It has been understood to mean that I was linking terrorism to particular religion and was accusing certain political organization of being involved in organizing terror camps.
I had no intention of linking terrorism with any religion. There is no basis for suggesting that terror could be linked with the organisations mentioned in my brief speech at Jaipur.
Since a controversy has been created on account of my statement, I am issuing this clarification and express regret to those who felt hurt by my statement.
I will continue to perform my duties to the best of my ability to ensure harmony is maintained in social fabric of India.