Two days after his speech at the audio release function of Savitri invited criticism from different sections, Nandamuri Balakrishna has categorically said that he made the speech in jest and that he didn`t mean to hurt anyone.

In a press statement released officially by the Telugu Desam Party, the Hindupur MLA said that he had immense respect for women and that it`s in his family`s tradition to see every woman as a sister belonging to his own family. Saying that it`s in his blood to see every woman as a sister, he said that it came to him as a legacy of his father, the late NTR.

Saying that he made those lines in the context of talking about his on-screen characters, Balayya said he was apologizing to those who were offended by his speech.

He also wished all women in the two Telugu States and all the women across the world a happy women`s day.