Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram   

CM regrets hurting NoRKs' sentiments

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Oct. 21. The Chief Minister, A. K. Antony, today sought to put the record straight by regretting his recent references to Non-resident Keralites (NoRKs) in the Gulf, the U.S. and Europe and the adverse impact it had on their sentiments.

Replying to a question on whether the proposed style of his functioning included a change in his approach towards minority communities, Mr. Antony said, ``I had made the remarks under special circumstances. The remarks seem to have hurt their sentiments. This has been conveyed to me by friends and others. The remarks were not intended to hurt anyone. Non-Resident Keralites living in the Gulf, the U.S. and Europe have made immense contributions to the State's economy. Their remittances were the backbone of the economy. The Government has also been soliciting Non-Resident Keralites to invest in the State. Looking back, I truly regret the observations.''

Mr. Antony reiterated that he was prepared to correct any shortcomings in his functioning and he was not stubborn about it.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Bid to shift sports school opposed
• SIT names abkari contractors as accused
• CM regrets hurting NoRKs' sentiments
• Petition against strike ban

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu