Manish Antani says U.S. Sen. Joe Biden "definitely got a bad rap" from the national media for his remarks about Indian-Americans.

Antani is a 23-year-old Nashua resident and self-described Indian activist who was on the receiving end of what's been described on numerous political Web sites and talk shows as insensitive comments the presidential candidate made during a visit to Manchester last month.

"I was very upset" at the portrayal, Antani told UnionLeader.com today. "I'm 100 percent behind him because he did nothing wrong." He said he did not view the comments as derogatory.

Biden, a Delaware Democrat, was captured on C-SPAN telling Antani on June 17, "I've had a great relationship (with Indian-Americans). In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian-Americans moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking."

The exchange came to light several weeks later when the segment was aired on C-SPAN's "Road to the White House" series, then picked up by political bloggers and Washington media.

Biden has said the remarks were taken out of context and that he meant them as a compliment to the Indian-American community in his state.

"The negative press coverage of Senator Biden's comments was completely unfair," Antani said.

(For a full story, see UnionLeader.com and the New Hampshire Union Leader on Tuesday.