Kolkata, Sep 29 (IANS): Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's "complete nonsense" remark against a cabinet-approved ordinance was tantamount to national insult, his cousin and BJP leader Varun Gandhi said Sunday and demanded an apology from the party.

"Rahul Gandhi's comments were against the prime minister and made at a time when he was representing the nation on foreign soil," Varun gandhi, who is BJP general secretary, said.

"As such, the BJP thinks the remarks tantamount to insult of the nation as a whole and the Congress should apologise for it," Varun Gandhi told the party's West Bengal state executive committee members.

Rahul Gandhi, in a surprise move Friday, called the ordinance approved by the cabinet to shield convicted lawmakers as "complete nonsense" and added it should be "torn up and thrown away".

Observing that the disintegration of the state's ruling Trinamool Congress due to internal fights was inevitable, BJP state chief Rahul Sinha said his party's doors were open for all who wanted to join, provided they were not tainted.