BJP's minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey calls Rahul Gandhi 'gutter worm'

Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey compared Congress Party president Rahul Gandhi to a "gutter worm" who suffered from "schizophrenia" on Saturday.

Choubey, known to make controversial remarks, was speaking to reporters in Sasaram district. His statement was in response to a query about allegations levelled by Gandhi on Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the Rafale deal.

"Our Prime Minister is vast like the sky but the current Congress chief… his form is like a sewer worm," said the Buxar MP, adding, "Rahul Gandhi has schizophrenia. He has called Prime Minister Modi a liar, which has hurt me. He should be admitted into a mental hospital."

The BJP distanced itself from Choubey's statement with its media co-incharge Sanjay Mayukh clarifying that the minister is not a spokesperson for the party. "It may be his personal statement. The party has nothing to do with it," he said. Ally Janata Dal-United (JD-U) too condemned it, saying such remarks degrade the level of politics.

Congress came down heavily on the attack, with party MLC Prem Chandra Mishra saying Choubey has been trained to abuse and spread hatred. "In the past too, he has been high on bhaang and made such remarks. I wait for the day when he uses such language against PM Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat," Mishra said.