Pramod Muthalik episode a mistake: Arun Jaitley

BJP leader Arun Jaitley admitted on Monday that it was a "mistake" to have taken Pramod Muthalik, who led an attack on women in a Karnataka pub in 2009, into the party.

The comment came after widespread criticism of the decision forced the Bharatiya Janata Party to take a U-turn on Muthalik and show him the door five hours later Sunday.

Muthalik, who heads a group called Sri Ram Sene, had justified the 2009 attack on women saying it was against "Indian culture" for women to drink liquor.

Jaitley said: "What happened in Karnataka yesterday was highly avoidable.

"The party, its workers and sympathisers must all remember that the things are going our way. We cannot afford to commit any mistakes.

"Since the BJP and Narendra Modi occupy the centre stage, our mistake will be disproportionately highlighted," he said.

The BJP leader added the mistake was "immediately corrected".