Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) member of Parliament (MP) S Senthilkumar on Wednesday apologised in Parliament for his Tuesday’s statement dubbing Hindi heartland states as gaumutra (cow urine) states after it invited sharp reactions from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members.

During a debate on the Jammu & Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill on Tuesday, Senthilkumar had claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could win elections only “in Hindi heartland states which are generally called as gaumutra (cow urine) states.” He was referring to the BJP’s victory in the just-concluded assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, and said the saffron party can win only in north Indian state and not in the South.

On Wednesday, he said, “If the statement made by me yesterday inadvertently had hurt the sentiments of the members and sections of the people, I would like to withdraw it.” He regretted his words and also asked it to be expunged from the records.

Meanwhile, senior DMK leader TR Baalu said that DMK president and Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin had been informed of Senthilkumar’s speech and disciplinary action was being taken against him.

“The statement made by Senthil yesterday was not correct. My leader MK Stalin has also taken note of it, and he was very serious about it. He has warned the member, and he is under disciplinary action.” said TR Baalu.

Balu was also asked by the ruling party MPs to apologise for the remarks made by a member of his party. Baalu also asked Senthilkumar to apologise for the remarks.

BJP MPs, including Piyush Goyal and Arjun Ram Meghwal, condemned the remarks as divisive. They asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi whether he agreed with the “derogatory” comments made by this member of the INDIA bloc. Slogans of “maafi maango” were raised by ruling party MPs on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Union minister Anurag Thakur slammed the INDIA bloc over Senthilkumar’s remark in a press conference in Delhi and said the thinking of the Congress was dividing the country.

“The Congress hates Santana Dharma, Hindus, and Hindi. This is the reason why Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have maintained silence on the statement of the DMK MP,” he said.

Earlier, DMK youth leader and Tamil Nadu sports minister Udhayanidhi Stalin had courted a controversy after he said Santana Dharma was incompatible with the concept of social justice and should be “eliminated”. “We can’t oppose dengue, mosquitoes, malaria or corona. We have to eradicate this. That’s how we have to eradicate Sanatana,” Stalin had said.

Thakur said, “The Congress-led arrogant coalition, their pride, and their arrogance didn’t get crushed even after the state elections. Rather, they are leaving no stone unturned to show down North India, Indians, and even Sanatan Dharma. My question is also this, in your Bharat Jodo Yatra, did you work to build Bharat or did you aim to break it into pieces?”

“Sometimes they abuse the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), sometimes they abuse the Election Commission (EC), and sometimes they abuse Hindi-speaking people. Congress and its allies have been continuously insulting the faith and culture of this country. My question to Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi is this, why is Congress bringing the idea of dividing the country? Sometimes you spread casteism, sometimes you spread regionalism,” Thakur told the press.

“If casteism doesn’t get you votes, then start doing North and South…Those who are going to be the CM of Telangana said that there is better DNA than Bihar. You attack the people of Uttar Pradesh again and again, you comment on your North Indian allies, and your lips remain sealed. What compulsion do Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi have? Why aren’t they saying anything? Why have their lips been sealed?”

Thakur also said that after their election loss, Congress has resorted to abuse and is conspiring to erase the culture and the identity of our country. The Congress won only in Telangana in the recently concluded assembly elections in five states, while the BJP won in three.

“Some people stand with the ‘tukde-tukde’ gang…but we won’t let this nation divide. Their thoughts are to insult Hindutva and Sanatana Dharma. Congress and their alliance keep showing Sanatana Dharma in a bad light… DMK leaders’ statements against Sanatana Darma, Hindus and Hindi-speaking people are a conspiracy,” Thakur said.

“Congress party and its leaders are giving voice to the idea of disintegrating India. Instead of learning from their loss, they are not stopping from insulting Santana Dharma. If this is not pride, then what is it? This attempt at partition and regionalism, one statement after another from caste to regionalism, shows the thinking of Congress that they want to divide and rule,” Thakur said.

There was no immediate reaction from the Congress to Thakur’s comments.