Following controversy over patting the cheek of a female journalist, Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Wednesday issued an apology…
Photo: Twitter
Following controversy over patting the cheek of a female journalist, Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Wednesday issued an apology her, saying that he patted her cheek to appreciate her performance as a journalist.
The incident happened during a press conference in Chennai when journalist, Lakshmi Subramaniam, posed a question to Purohit while he was leaving the hall after the interaction. He didn’t answer the question posed by the journo and instead patted her on cheek.
In the apology letter, Purohit said, “I considered that question to be a good one. Therefore as an act of appreciation for the question that you had posed, I gave a pat on your cheek considering you to be like my granddaughter.”
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“It was done with affection and to express my appreciation for your performance as a journalist, since I was also a member of that profession for about 40 years. I wish to express my regret and my apologies to assuage your sentiments that have been hurt.”
The woman journalist accepted the governor’s apology but stated that she was not convinced with his explanation.
She tweeted: “I accept your apology, even though I am not convinced about your contention that you did it to appreciate a question I asked.”
Your Excellency, I have with me your letter expressing regret at what happened at the press conference in Chennai the previous day. I accept your apology, even though I am not convinced about your contention that you did it to appreciate a question I asked @TheWeekLive pic.twitter.com/JhjPOQy8UW
— Lakshmi Subramanian (@lakhinathan) April 18, 2018
Earlier, the Tamil Nadu journalists had demanded an unconditioned apology from Purohit for the incident.
Soon after the press conference, Lakshmi had tweeted a picture in which the Governor is seen patting her cheek at the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday and expressed her shock over his conduct.
The press conference was called in connection with the sex scandal at a leading university in the state.
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