Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahay on Friday said a section of electronic media had "wrongly projected" news about his attending a fashion show when blasts hit Mumbai on Wednesday and said that he left the venue after learning of the terror strikes.
Talking to mediapersons, Sahay said that he attended the event in the national capital to bless the daughter of a political colleague and added that fashion shows were not "nautanki (drama) but creative work".
The minister's response came as Congress on Friday said it was not aware of the minister attending fashion show at the time of blasts and whether the event was a government or a private function.
Responding to queries, Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed had said that the party may query Sahay on the issue. Sahay said the fashion show was the first event of daughter of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ashok Pradhan.
"It was just a blessing ceremony from my side," he said, adding that sections of media were wrongly projecting his brief presence at the event.
"There is no link to Mumbai. When I got to know (of blasts), I came from there," he said.
Sahay said he was "much in panic" after learning of the blasts in Mumbai as his wife and daughter stay in the city.
"I made phone calls to know about their well being. I treat Mumbai as my hometown," he said. He also added that fashion show should not be treated as a "vulgar show".
"Ministry of textiles organises fashion shows. Fashion is taught as a subject in some schools... It is not nautanki but is creative work," he said.
He said sections of media had reported about his presence at the event "in a highly exaggerated and misplaced manner without going into factual position".
Earlier, talking to mediapersons in Mirzapur town where he had come to visit a temple, Sahay said it was wrong to project that he was at the fashion event to enjoy the evening.
"The terror strikes had not taken place till I reached there. The blasts took place at around 7 pm while I had reached the hotel where the fashion show was organised much before that time," he said.
"The moment I came to know about the terror strikes, I left the venue at once," Sahay said.