On Board PM's Special Aircraft:
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said BJP leader L K Advani had called him up to express "regret" over his utterances during the elections and that he reciprocated the gesture by apologising.
Seeking to put the recriminations behind, Singh also wished BJP well.
"I was compelled to reply him (Advani). I did say something which Mr Advani said hurt him. When he (Advani) rang up on May 16 to congratulate on the election results, he expressed regret. I also conveyed my apologies if I had hurt him," the Prime Minister told journalists when asked whether the bitterness of poll campaign had been forgotten and whether he had forgiven the BJP leader.
Singh said he was now looking forward to "close" relations with Advani as the Leader of Opposition.
To a question about problems in BJP after its poll debacle, Singh refused to comment, saying he was "not in favour of gloating over difficulties of other political parties. I wish them well".
Singh was talking to journalists while returning from Yekaterinburg after a three-day visit during which he attended the Summits of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and Brazil-Russia-India-China (BRIC).