Javadekar slams Cong for questioning 'strength of armed forces'

Asserting that the Congress was going against popular sentiment in the country, Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday accused the opposition party of rubbishing the claims of the armed forces and questioning their strength.

Javadekar's comments come a day after Congress spokesperson R P N Singh criticised the BJP leadership of spreading "false propaganda" over the February 26 air strike in Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The Congress has questioned the basis for BJP president Amit Shah's claim that 250 terrorists were killed in the strike and asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi or his government was not giving out the details of casualties.

"I cannot understand what has happened to the Congress. Their talk is opposite to the country's popular sentiments. They are rubbishing the armed forces' claims and questioning their strength," Javadekar told reporters.

"It does not happen in any democracy that trust is not placed in the Army. Only the Congress can commit such a sin," he added.

One week on, there is no clarity on the number of terrorists killed in the strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Balakot.

On Monday, IAF chief B S Dhanoa said the Air Force does not count human casualties and it is for the government to provide details on the death toll.

On February 26, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said a "very large number of terrorists" were killed in Balakot.

Government sources had said up to 350 terrorists were killed, BJP president Amit Shah later put the toll at 250 and some media reports indicated the damage was minimal.

But there has been no official statement on the number of casualties.

R P N Singh on Monday said Modi should apologise to the country for trying to portray the Indian Air Force as being "weaker without Rafale".

He counter-accused the BJP and its leaders of spreading misinformation and "false propaganda" over the air strike ahead of elections and said the people of the country would give them a fitting reply.

"It is extremely shocking and tragic that the prime minister of this country is pointing fingers at opposition parties for questioning the Army or the Air Force," he said.