New Delhi, March 5 (IANS): The Congress criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) leader Hanuman Beniwal alluded interim Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and former party president Rahul Gandhi to the spread of coronavirus in the country, in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

It led to vociferous protest from the opposition benches and adjournment of the House.

The Rajasthan-based RLP is a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner and had a poll tieup to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Reacting to Beniwal's remark, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said, he (Beniwal) had lost his mental balance, but he was not the architect of this conspiracy (to defame the Gandhi family). "Prime Minister Modi has launched a 'Goli Maro, Gali Do Abhiyan' against the entire opposition and the country per se," Surjewala said.

To those seeking accountability of the Prime Minister and the BJP government over 52 deaths, loss of properties worth a few thousand crores and the Delhi Police's inaction at the recent Delhi riots, their reply was "abuse or shoot the person", said Surjewala.

Same was the response for demanding the Home Minister's resignation for his utter failure to prevent and contain the riots, he added.

"Modiji, this is not democracy, but utter dictatorship. You have a phobia of the Gandhi-Nehru family. It's reflected in the likes of imbecile, unpardonable and unacceptable comments at the instance of the Prime Minister by the likes of Beniwal, who has lost his mental balance," said Surjewala.

Italy has emerged as one of the hotspots of coronavirus with 3,089 confirmed cases and 107 deaths. In India too, 16 visiting Italian nationals have tested positive for coronavirus.