Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday expressed regret over his controversial statement calling the people of Gujarat “illiterate”, and said he has always had and will continue to have the highest respect for the people of the state.

In a post on X, the Congress president said, “Some remarks of mine in a recent election speech in Kerala are being deliberately misinterpreted. Even so, I express my sincere regret. It was never my intention to hurt the sentiments of the people of Gujarat.”