Narendra Modi

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Even as Narendra Modi is being attacked from all sides for his ‘puppy’ remark, the Gujarat Chief Minister’s office defended him saying that what he said was being distorted.

Issuing a statement late on Friday, Modi’s office said that his remark on the 2002 Gujarat riots only demonstrated his ‘heightened sensitivity’.

The Gujarat CM’s office said, “In response to a question related to the unfortunate incident of 2002, Mr Modi’s response only shows a heightened sensitivity on his part where he chose an anecdote to explain the grief that a human being would experience on even the hurt of a dog. To talk about an incident that resulted in loss of human lives and not feel the grief is unthinkable.”

Modi had defended his ‘puppy’ remarks yesterday, made during an interview with a news agency while talking about the 2002 post Godhra riots.

When asked if he regretted the riots, Modi had said that even if a “puppy comes under the wheel” of a car, one felt sad.

The comment had drawn ire of political parties, with the Samajwadi Party accusing him of comparing Muslims to dogs.

Defending his remarks, Modi later tweeted: “In our culture every form of life is valued & worshipped… People are best judge (sic).”

Modi had kicked up a political storm yesterday by saying he had done “absolutely the right thing” during the 2002 riots and described himself as a “Hindu nationalist”.

He came under sharp attack from the Congress, SP, CPI(M), CPI and JD(U) for his remarks in an interview to Reuters during which he said he had not done anything wrong with regard to the riots. An SIT set up by the Supreme Court had given him a “thoroughly clean chit”, he said.

Congress and SP have even demanded immediate apology to the nation from him.

With PTI inputs