Statement made by mistake: Tamil Nadu BJP chief apologises for remark on Trisha

The apology comes a day after Tamil Nadu BJP chief Nainar Nagendran triggered a political row by suggesting that Vijay should "come out of Trisha's house" to gain experience and succeed in politics.

Tamil Nadu BJP chief Nainar Nagendran on Monday expressed regret over his controversial remark dragging actor Trisha Krishnan into a political attack on actor-turned-politician Vijay, saying the statement was made “by mistake”.

“This was a statement made by mistake. Our all India women's wing chief Vanathi Srinivasan and Annamalai has spoken to me about this matter. If anyone has been hurt by my statement, I express my heartfelt regrets,” the Tamil Nadu BJP president said.

The apology comes a day after Nagendran triggered a political row by suggesting that Vijay should “come out of Trisha’s house” to gain experience and succeed in politics. The comment was made while responding to Vijay’s assertion that his party would emerge as a key challenger in the upcoming Assembly elections.

At the event, Nagendran had mocked Vijay’s political ambitions, saying the actor was someone “who cannot even climb onto a rooftop is dreaming of climbing to heaven”.

“Poor man, he is completely inexperienced. First, he needs to come out of his house. Come out of Trisha’s house first, then something can happen,” he had said, laughing.

The remark drew sharp reactions from several political leaders, who termed it inappropriate and accused the BJP of making personal attacks. Leaders of the ruling DMK alleged that such comments reflected a lack of respect for women, while the Congress also questioned why the actor’s name was being brought into political discourse.