Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, who stirred up a hornet's nest by saying that many government departments are blood suckers like mosquitoes, on Monday clarified that he had not said that in connection with the Finance Ministry.

Blaming the media for putting his statement on the excise duty hike on jewellery in wrong context, Jaiswal said his statement on blood sucking was "in connection with many government departments and not the Finance Ministry."

"Some channels have shown that I have made some comments on the Finance Ministry. It is unfortunate that channels don't show (the correct picture)," he told reporters at the Parliament House complex.

Backing the bullion traders demand for roll back the budget proposal to hike duty on jewellery at Kanpur on Sunday, Jaiswal had said that "there are many government departments in our country that suck blood only".

"The government should devise another way to collect Rs 100 crore revenue, we (businessmen) will pay that," he had said.

Jaiswal said, "I had said that in many departments officials harrass businessmen, suck their blood, this is unfortunate.

"Many departments suck blood of employees, businessmen but I had not said in connection with the Finance Ministry."

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee also downplayed Jaiswal's opposition to the budget proposal to hike excise duty on jewellery, saying the Coal Minister has "clarified" to him about his statement and "it is absolutely nothing".

"No, no ... he (Jaiswal) told me, it is absolutely nothing. He has clarified it," Mukherjee told reporters. PTI TGB NAM