PATNA/SASARAM: Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey on Saturday called Congress president Rahul Gandhi a ‘schizophrenic’ and compared him to “naali ka keeda” (gutter worm).Choubey, who is known for making derogatory statements against opposition leaders in the past, made these remarks in Sasaram when newspersons asked him about the charges levelled by Rahul against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Rafale deal.“I believe Rahul is suffering from schizophrenia. I was deeply pained by his statement in which he had termed the Prime Minister a liar. I think he should be admitted to a mental hospital. A person suffering from schizophrenia thinks that others are mad,” he said.Defending the Centre on the Rafale controversy, Choubey said, “Pradhan Mantri gagan ke jaisa aur jo aaj ka Congress ka adhyaksh hai unka aakaar kaisa...naali ke keede jaisa (While PM is great like the skies, Congress president is like a sewer worm).”While BJP distanced itself from its minister’s statements, its ally JD(U) advised Choubey restraint. “Such words should not be used as they lead to nasty political discourse,” JD(U) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan said. “Choubey is not a spokesperson of BJP. Hence, the party has nothing to do with his remarks,” BJP spokesperson Sanjay Mayukh said.Criticising the minister for his remarks against Rahul, Congress MLC Prem Chand Mishra said: “Choubey is the product of the same ideology which teaches bad politics. He has been trained to spew venom. Choubey had made nonsensical statements in the past also by consuming ‘bhang (cannabis)’.“I am waiting for the day when he starts abusing RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and PM Narendra Modi in the same manner under the influence of bhang,” he added.