Earthquake occurred as Rahul Gandhi visited Kedarnath: Sakshi Maharaj

New Delhi: The Congress on Monday wondered whether the BJP had given the party's "motor mouths" a free rein after a purported remark by a veteran parliamentarian, known for irresponsible comments, appeared to link Rahul Gandhi's recent visit to Kedarnath with the Nepal quake.

Sushmita Dev, a Congress spokesperson, asked the Prime Minister and BJP chief Amit Shah to "stop perpetuating rabid politics" and demanded they take "immediate action" against Sakshi Maharaj, a Lok Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh.

"If media reports are to be believed, Sakshi Maharaj, now famous for asking women to produce 10 babies, eulogising Nathuram Godse, the killer of Mahatma Gandhi, and comparing humans with dogs for sterilisation, is now ascribing the earthquake in Nepal to Rahul Gandhi's visit to Bhagwan Kedarnath," Dev told an official party briefing.

 "All we want to know is whether he has the sanction of the Prime Minister."

Some reports suggested that Maharaj had said: "Rahul Gandhi eats beef and goes to the holy shrine without purifying himself. The earthquake was bound to happen."

Rahul had visited the Uttarakhand shrine last week. He had trekked to the shrine to Shiva and claimed to have gained spiritual strength after the pilgrimage.

Maharaj had last year termed Godsea "patriot", but retracted his statement later.

He stirred another controversy when he called on Hindu women to produce more childrento retain Hindu demographic dominance.

 The BJP had pulled him up for his comments but doesn't seem to have succeeded in reining in the four-time MP.

 "It is unfortunate the motor-mouth offenders of the BJP are trying to communalise and politicise a grave human tragedy," Dev said.