New Delhi (IANS): Questioning the BJP’s claims of 250 causalities in the air strikes in Pakistan’s Balakot, the Congress on Monday demanded of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise for claiming the India Air Force (IAF) felt the absence of Rafale fighter jets.

Countering the Modi’s allegation of the opposition playing politics at the cost of national security, Congress spokesperson R.P.N. Singh accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of politicising the air strikes and trying to reap electoral mileage from it.

With the government yet to give an official count of the number of terrorists killed in the air strikes in Pakistan’s Balakot and Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa declining to comment on the casualties, Singh also demanded to know the basis of BJP chief Amit Shah’s claim of 250 terrorists being killed in the air strikes conducted in the aftermath of the February 14 Pulwama terror attack in which 40 security personnel were killed.

“The Prime Minister tried to show that the IAF was weaker because it did not have the Rafale. He should apologise for questioning the capabilities of the IAF and for playing politics on armed forces,” Singh told the media here.

“We have witnessed how BJP leaders, including Shah and Modi, made many political statements on the Pulwama attack and yet accused Congress of doing it. We have a BJP leader (Manoj Tiwari) roaming around in Army fatigues, so who is politicising the issue? It is the BJP?” said Singh and questioned Shah’s claims on the casualties in the air strikes.

“Where are these figures coming from? Air Chief Marshal clearly said that it is government’s duty to count casualties.”