A BJP leader in Gujarat demanded an apology from a Congress MLA on Wednesday for wrongly suggesting that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had linked the coronavirus epidemic with inflation.

The controversy erupted after first-time MLA from Dhoraji seat of Rajkot Lalit Vasoya shared a Gujarati newspaper's front page on his Facebook account and also made some remarks. The headline of the newspaper read - 'Inflation will rise due to Coronavirus: Finance Minister Sitharaman'.

However, the finance minister had not made any such reference during the reported event.

Attending a meeting of representatives of various industrial sectors in Delhi, Sitharaman had said, "There are no concerns about price rise so far due to coronavirus".

Taking a strong exception to the MLA's remarks, Rajkot BJP leader Raju Dhruv demanded an apology.

"Vasoya showcased his sick mentality by making such comments. I condemn his remarks and demand his apology," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)