Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday expressed regret over his controversial remark referring to people of Gujarat as “illiterate”, and said his comments had been misinterpreted and were never intended to hurt public sentiment.In a post on X, Kharge said he holds the people of Gujarat in the highest regard and would continue to do so. He conveyed regret over the remarks made during a recent election speech, noting that the controversy arose from the way his comments were being presented.The clarification comes after Kharge’s statement during a campaign event in Kerala triggered a political backlash, drawing sharp reactions from the BJP ahead of ongoing electoral activity.During his address, Kharge had alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan were pursuing similar political approaches, asserting that there was little difference between them beyond party affiliations.