Thiruvananthapuram | A day after his reference to former prime minister Indira Gandhi as "mother of India" received widespread attention, Union Minister Suresh Gopi on Sunday clarified that he called the late leader the mother of the Congress party in the country and his remarks were misinterpreted by the media.

The actor-turned-politician said he was a person talking from the heart and he firmly believed that there was nothing wrong in what he said about Indira Gandhi.

While addressing the media here, the BJP leader asked the reporters whether they don't understand the "contextual meaning of language".

"What did I say? As far as the Congress is concerned...whether anyone likes it or not... K Karunakaran is the father of the Congress party in Kerala. In India, its mother is Indira Gandhi. I said this from my heart," Suresh Gopi said.

The minister of state for petroleum and tourism, however, continued to lavish praises on Indira Gandhi on Sunday as well.