BENGALURU: Former Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy on Wednesday apologised for the use of an expletive while referring to Congress legislator and former state assembly speaker K R Ramesh Kumar.
Kumaraswamy's apology came after his video during a private conversation went viral.
"The word I used for former speaker Ramesh Kumar hurts me too. The use of that word is neither my nature, nor it is my personality. I regret if my word has hurt Ramesh Kumar or anyone else. I withdraw my words," the JD(S) second-in-command said in a tweet.
The JD(S) leader had earlier inspected a government school at Srinivaspur in Kolar district, a constituency represented by Kumar.
Explaining the circumstances which made him angry, Kumaraswamy tweeted, "Yesterday, I was very sad to see a dilapidated school in Bangavadi village of Srinivaspur Assembly Constituency. I was outraged to hear that the children were attending classes under a 'Peepal' tree for the past two to three years."
The former chief minister said he used the invective in anger but never intended to insult anyone.
"I want to clarify that the tears in the eyes of children became a reason behind my outburst," Kumaraswamy said.