The minister, who is in Liberia on an official visit, tweeted late Thursday night that he had 'learned belatedly of fuss over my tweet replying to journo's query whether I would travel to Kerala in 'cattle class''.

He pointed out that the phrase 'cattle class' was used in the journalist's query, which he just repeated.

'It's a silly expression but means no disrespect to economy travellers, only to airlines for herding us in like cattle. Many have misunderstood,' he tweeted.

He admitted that the phrase when translated into Malayalam sounded worse, especially if taken out of context. 'To those hurt by the belief that my repeating the phrase showed contempt: sorry,' said Tharoor.

He also explained that the word 'holy cows' was not referring to any individual. 'Holy cows are NOT individuals but sacrosanct issues or principles that no one dares challenge. Wish critics would look it up.'

Criticising Tharoor, Leader of Opposition in Kerala assembly Oommen Chandy of the Congress said: 'Political workers should behave like servants of the people and not their owners.'