BJP chief Amit Shah also responded to Rahul's comments. He accused the Opposition of resorting to 'misogyny' and asked for an apology.

Rahul Gandhi's recent statement on Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's speech on the Rafale deal provoked a sharp retort from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday. The Congress president had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi got a "woman" to defend him in the Parliament over the alleged Rafale scam.

Rahul was referring to Sitharaman's recent speech on the aircraft deal in Lok Sabha, News18 reported.

While addressing a rally at Jaipur in Rajasthan, Rahul said the prime minister, who "claims to have a broad chest" had "run away" from a debate in the Parliament on the matter.

"The watchman with a 56-inch chest ran away and told a woman, Sitharamanji, defend me. I won't be able to defend myself, defend me," he said.

"For two and a half hours, the woman could not defend him. I had asked a straight question – answer yes or no – but she couldn't answer," Rahul said.

Later on Wednesday, in his public meeting in Agra, Modi reacted strongly at the Congress chief's remark, saying that the Opposition is bent on insulting women.

"This is an insult to the women in the country," Modi added.

Rahul's "misogynistic" statement also drew flak from National Commission for Women (NCW).

The Commission tweeted on Wednesday that it would serve notice to Rahul regarding his statement in question.

BJP chief Amit Shah also responded to Rahul's comments. He accused the Opposition of resorting to "misogyny" and demanded an apology.

Defence Minister @nsitharaman’s outstanding speech in Parliament has silenced the opposition. Unable to counter her on facts, they’re resorting to misogyny. They owe an apology to India’s Nari Shakti. pic.twitter.com/Pw0nepcu6s — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) January 9, 2019

With inputs from PTI