Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje has tendered an unconditional apology to the Tamil people for her comments linking the Tamils to the Rameshwaram Café blast in Bengaluru.

The minister, who hails from Karnataka, has filed an affidavit before the Madras High Court apologising for her comments that could have hurt the sentiments of the Tamils.

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She had said the bombers were trained in Tamil Nadu.

The affidavit was filed through her counsel when her petition seeking to quash the FIR registered in Madurai came up for hearing before Justice G Jayachandran.

Earlier, Shobha Karandlaje had submitted that she had retracted her statement through social media and contended that the case was filed with an ulterior motive and an abuse of the process of law and against freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution.

While the Tamil Nadu government has been demanding that she should tender an apology at a press conference for the hurtful comments she made at a press conference on March 19 in the aftermath of the Rameshwaram Café blast on March 1.

Reiterating the government’s stand, Advocate General P S Raman told the court that he would revert after getting appropriate instructions.

“I state that the alleged comments made by me about the people of Tamil Nadu while addressing the media about the Rameshwaram Café bomb blast in Bengaluru were made without any intention to hurt the sentiments and feelings of the people of Tamil Nadu. I have the highest respect and regard for the history, rich culture, tradition, and to the people of Tamil Nadu and I had or have no intention whatsoever to hurt the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu by any conduct of mine. I hereby once again tender my apology to the people of Tamil Nadu,” reads the affidavit.

During the previous hearing, when the counsel submitted that the minister was prepared to file an affidavit expressing apology, the Judge too observed that it was only appropriate that the minister apologise at a press conference since her statement was made in public. He also questioned the basis for making such comments even before the National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing the case, could come out with its findings.

The case was registered on a complaint by one, Thiagarajan of Madurai, who said the minister’s remarks were intended to foment enmity between Tamils and Kannadigas.