Amid the BJP's charge that Congress was lowering morale of the armed forces by seeking proof on Balakot air strike, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam Tuesday said no political party was questioning bravery of soldiers but "politicisation" of the operation by the ruling party.
He also attacked BJP chief Amit Shah over his claim that 250 terrorists were killed in the February 26 air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohamed (JeM) terror camp in Pakistan.
"No one is questioning the valour or bravery of our armed forces who have shown the exemplary courage in the past as well. We are only criticising and objecting the way some BJP leaders are politicising it (the air strike)," the Mumbai Congress president said.
Nirupam said the Congress wanted clarification from government over casualties of terrorists in the operation because BJP leaders are coming up with different figures.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, Nirupam met disgruntled BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha here Tuesday.
Responding to a query on this meeting, Nirupam said it was only a "courtesy" call.
"Sinha is like an elder brother to me and I wanted to meet him since long," he said.
Nirupam claimed several leaders of BJP are fed up with the working style of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and are set to join the Congress.
He also lashed out at BJP's Mumbai North Central MP Poonam Mahajan over her remarks on Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
Addressing a rally here on Monday, Mahajan had criticised Gandhi over his announcement that Congress would provide tenements measuring 500 sq ft to each family of slum-dwellers in Mumbai, if voted to power in the coming elections.
Mahajan reportedly termed Gandhi as a political leader with the intellect of a child.
The BJP MP also said that she would change her name and look for another profession, if Gandhi could tell the difference between a square foot, a square metre and a square inch.
Meanwhile, Nirupam attacked Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the "slow pace" of probe into the Cidco "land scam".
Nirupam had claimed last year that 24 acres of City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) land in Navi Mumbai's Kharghar had been transferred to a private builder at throwaway price by allegedly duping eight project-affected families of Koyna Dam.
Nirupam Tuesday wrote a letter to the CM questioning the delay in investigation.
"Despite the CM promising a judicial probe, his government has failed to present the report within promised period. On August 21, 2018, Fadnavis promised a judicial probe on the floor of the Assembly stating that a report will be released within three months. However, it has been eight months now and we are still awaiting the report," Nirupam told reporters.
Underlining the "delay", he said justice (retired) Kishor Rohi of the Bombay HC had declined to probe the case on the health ground in the past, and "Justice (retd) R C Chavan who replaced Justice Rohi has not even started working on the case".
He claimed Justice Chavan was given a three-month extension by the government on January 4.
In his letter, Nirupam sought to know from the CM the reason behind the controversial plot of land still in possession of the private builder.
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