Amidst the row over Tapas Pal's controversial remarks on women, Congress MP Abhijit Mukherjee has said that since the actor and Trinamool Congress MP has apologised the matter should end. "Since Tapas Pal has apologised and his party forgave him. The matter should end there," Abhijit, the son of President Pranab Mukherjee, told reporters here yesterday when asked about Pal's remarks.

"Tapas Pal is like a friend. I became his fan after seeing the film 'Dadar Kirti'," he said about Pal, a popular Bengali film actor. "I have seen in newspapers that he has apologised. It is a controversial matter. Such kind of comment should not have been made. It happens due to slip of tongue. More or less we all are guilty of such things."

Once earlier, Mukherjee, too, had found himself at the center of a controversy following sexist remarks towards women protesting the Delhi gang-rape. He drew much flak for terming the women who participated as "highly dented-painted".

He said he expected that everybody should behave in a mature way. "Only Lok Sabha Speaker can take a decision regarding scrapping of his membership," Mukherjee, the Congress MP from Jangipur, said.

Pal has made an unconditional apology for allegedly threatening to kill CPI-M workers and having their women raped after he was asked by an embarrassed party leadership to do so. The remarks were condemned by opposition political parties as well as noted personalities.