Infosys chairman N.R. Narayana Murthy Saturday denied criticising former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda or any other politician.

In his first public reaction on the recent controversy sparked off by Gowda's diatribe against Infosys and the IT industry, Murthy told reporters that he did not want to react or get into issues that were not based on facts or data.

"I have never ever criticised any politician directly or indirectly. Nor have I criticised any politician by name in Karnataka. One should always look at data before making charges.

"Whether I am hurt or not does not matter. We should always use facts and data in making a point. Let us not get into unnecessary controversies. I am very busy with my work. I have no time for these things now," Murthy said during the visit of Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew to the Infosys campus.

Ruling out taking back his resignation from the chairmanship of the Bangalore International Airport Limited, Murthy said there would be no impact on the airport project due to his absence on its board.

"At no time have I indicated reconsidering the resignation. I do not see any setback to the project. Individuals do not matter. Whether I am there or not will make no difference. The project is being executed by a reputed consortium with people from the private sector and the government," Murthy asserted.

Playing down Gowda's remarks on his company's land acquisition spree, he said there was no change in its expansion plans and that the firm would go ahead with building campuses in Mysore and Mangalore.