New Delhi | The BJP on Friday dismissed Congress leader K C Venugopal's breach of privilege notice against Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "gimmick" to divert attention from nationwide anger against Rahul Gandhi for "insulting" India on foreign soil.

Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal said the Congress is facing anger and embarrassment across the country over Gandhi's comments on the state of democracy in India and the opposition party is now resorting to diversionary tactics.

Venugopal earlier gave Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar a breach of privilege notice against Modi over his remarks as to why former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's family did not use his surname. Modi made the comment in the House on February 9 during his reply to the motion of thanks on the President's address.

Noting that it is for the Rajya Sabha chairman to decide on the notice submitted by the Congress member, Goyal said the BJP believes that what Venugopal has done is a "gimmick and a diversionary tactic" amid anger building against the Congress over Gandhi's comments.

Venugopal alleged that the prime minister made the remarks prima facie mockingly and they were not only disgraceful but also insulting and defamatory vis-a-vis members of the Nehru family, particularly Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi who are members of the Lok Sabha.