'You are like my granddaughter': Tamil Nadu Guv Banwarilal Purohit apologises to journalist for patting her on cheek

Under fire for patting the cheek of a woman journalist, Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Wednesday tendered an apology to her.

The 78-year-old governor had patted Lakshmi Subramanian on the cheek when he was about to leave the venue of a press conference, triggering an outrage by the journalist fraternity and opposition parties, including the DMK.

In a letter to Subramanian, the governor said he patted her out of "affection" and "appreciation" of her performance as a journalist.

"I considered that question to be a good one. Therefore, as an act of appreciation for the question that you had posed, I gave a pat on your cheek considering you to be like my granddaughter. It was done with affection and to express my appreciation for your performance as a journalist," he said.

Referring to the mail the journalist, who works for an English weekly, had sent to him, Purohit said,"I do understand from your mail that you are feeling hurt about the incident."

Purohit said he therefore wished to "express my regret and my apologies to assuage your sentiments that have been hurt."

In response to Purohit's letter, the journalist wrote on Twitter, "Your Excellency, I have with me your letter expressing regret at what happened at the press conference in Chennai the previous day. I accept your apology, even though I am not convinced about your contention that you did it to appreciate a question I asked."