Patna: The naamdar (dynast) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now been dubbed a "naali ka keeda" (gutter worm) and "schizophrenic" by the motormouth Union minister Ashwini Choubey.

The Buxar MP's vitriol-laced description of Congress president Rahul Gandhi triggered howls of protest from the Opposition and even the BJP sought to distance itself from Choubey's latest statement.

" Hamare Pradhan mantri gagan ke jaisa aur jo aaj ka Congress ka adhyaksh hai unka aakaar kaisa, naali ke keede jaisa (Our Prime Minister is like the sky and this Congress president is like a gutter worm)," Choubey said on the sidelines of a programme at Sasaram, around 160km southwest of Patna.

Choubey, 65, who is the junior central minister for health and family welfare, did not stop at this.

"This Rahul Gandhi seems to be suffering from schizophrenia. He called Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi a liar. I was deeply hurt by this. I think he should be admitted to mental hospital," Choubey said while reacting to the Congress president's accusations that the Prime Minister was "lying" on the Rafale deal.

Choubey alleged that the Congress was the "mother of all corruption" and also hit out at the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) by calling it Mahathagbandhan (alliance of cheats). #Choubey's remarks were in contrast to the " naamdar" (used to imply a dynast, famous or lord) moniker that Modi had bestowed on Rahul earlier this year #while campaigning for the Karnataka Assembly elections.

This is not the first time that Choubey has spit venom at Rahul. He had previously termed the Congress president an "impersonator", "a child" and a "foreign parrot" - receiving flak for his statements every time. He had also once termed then Congress president Sonia Gandhi "Putana", a mythical demon, and "Italy ki gudiya".

Choubey, as the health minister in the Nitish Kumar cabinet in 2012, had then warned striking junior doctors their hands would be chopped off if they did not withdraw their stir.

The Congress on Saturday hit out at the Union minister #and said that his statements portrayed the legacy he carries.

"Choubey seems to be suffering from mental depression. He continuously keeps revealing his own antecedents, as well as the legacy of the RSS #(Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) that he carries," Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) president in-charge Kaukab Quadri said.

The BJP was quick to distance itself from Choubey's comments. Its spokesperson in New Delhi, Sanjay Mayukh, said: "Whatever Choubey has said is not the authorised statement by our party. It could be his personal opinion. However, those who are raising questions about our legacy and inheritance should first take a look at their own."

Loktantrik Janata Dal president Sharad Yadav reacted by saying that it was a thing to repent that people like Choubey are made ministers, while Hindustani Awam Morcha Secular founder and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi said that people who themselves are mentally ill could think like this.

On the other hand, BJP spokesperson in New Delhi, Sanjay Mayukh said: "Whatever Choubey has said is not the authorised statement by our party. It could be his personal opinion. However, those who are raising questions about our legacy and inheritance should first take a look on their own."

Janata Dal United (JDU) secretary general K.C. Tyagi also criticised the remarks.

This is not the first time that Choubey has spit venom at Rahul. He had previously termed the Congress president as an "impersonator", "a child" and a "foreign parrot" - receiving flak for his statements every time.