In a stinging attack on Rahul Gandhi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday accused him of breaching security protocol inside and outside the country and wondered if he doesn’t take the elite SPG on foreign trips to “hide” something.

The minister was speaking in the Lok Sabha on the issue of security for the Congress Vice President following a stone throwing incident during a visit to rain-hit Banaskantha ' title=' Banaskantha '>Banaskantha district in Gujarat. Major sparring between the ruling and opposition benches forced Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to adjourn the House for the day.

Taking the floor after Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP of following the politics of violence, Singh said Gandhi was out for 72 days on six foreign tours and he did not take the Special Protection Group cover.

“We want to know why didn’t Rahul Gandhi take SPG cover on several foreign trips? What is he trying to hide? In the last two years, Gandhi has been out on six foreign visits for 72 days. He has not kept the SPG cover in these 72 days,” Singh said amidst shouting by Congress MPs.

“The country would want to know where he went – that he did not want to take SPG cover,” said Singh.

Congress members raised the pitch in protest but the Minister continued.

Singh said black flags were shown to Gandhi at his rally. While he was supposed to be there for 15-20 minutes, he left in 7.5 minutes and headed for the helipad, and was attacked on the way.

At noon, Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay said the house should condemn the attack on Gandhi but added that he should keep his SPG protection.

As other members made their Zero Hour mentions, Congress members again trooped to the Speaker’s podium noisily. Amid the ruckus, the House was adjourned for the day.