Goa Chief Minister Digamber Kamat, who earned the ire of Congress colleagues for his statement calling Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi as his “best friend”, today had to say the remark was taken out of context and expressed his commitment to secularism.

“My statement has been taken out of context solely to create media and political hype,” Kamat, who left the BJP in 2005 and joined the Congress, said at his official residence here, seeking to put a lid on the controversy over his remark.

“I want to firmly state that selective interpretation of a casual remark could not undermine my commitment and loyalty to the Congress party’s secular ideology and liberal politics,” he asserted.

During a press conference two days ago, Kamat had termed Modi as his “best friend”.

“When I am in Delhi for any conference, I have (Chief Minister) Sheila Dikshit on one side and Narendra Modi on the other.