Gwalior, Nov. 12 -- Member of Parliament (MP) from Rewa, Janardan Mishra, on Thursday apologised for his controversial remarks about farmers, saying that the statement was "inappropriate", and also defended the BJP government against criticism from Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari over the issue.

Speaking to reporters in Gwalior, Mishra said, "I have apologised for it and have expressed my regret that the sentence was not appropriate and I should not have said it."

When asked under what circumstances he remarked, he said, "90 per cent of families in villages have been affected by substance abuse. This is a serious problem, and the challenge is how to keep society away from addiction."

The Parliamentarian's clarification c...