Jaipur, Dec 19 (IANS): The BJP has suspended its Rajasthan legislator Prahalad Gunjal for allegedly threatening a chief medical and health officer (CMHO) for transfer of a male nurse, a party leader said Friday.

"Taking cognizance of the matter, the central leadership has suspended him from the primary membership of the party and also informed the state unit about it. These kind of matters are decided by our parliamentary board and they have taken this decision," state Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman Kailash Nath Bhatt told IANS.

Gunjal, who represents Kota North assembly constituency, had threatened Kota district CMHO Dr R.N. Yadav and used abusive language while asking him to transfer a male nurse to a posting of his choice.

The BJP's state unit had Thursday issued notice to the legislator and asked him to respond to the allegations in five days.

In a written reply sent to the state president Ashok Parnmai and Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje late Thursday night, Gunjal had apologised and said that as he was "emotional at that time", he might have used some words which were not proper and regretted them.

"If someone has been hurt in any way due to my language or words then I apologise for it," he had written in his reply, sources told IANS.

In an over 6 minute audio clip doing the rounds on social media, Gunjal can be heard yelling, threatening and using abusive language while talking to the CMHO while directing him to transfer a male nurse. "If you do not do my work then I will create such a fear that your children will not be able to sleep."

Gunjal had joined the BJP just before the 2013 state assembly elections.

In many cities of the state, doctors had boycotted work for few hours in support of the CMHO.