The BJP on Monday lashed out at the opposition parties for criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his sortie on a Tejas fighter aircraft, alleging that they do not just hate him but also do not want the country's welfare.

Clad in an olive green fighter pilot G-suit, Modi on Saturday took to the skies in the homegrown light combat aircraft Tejas after which he said the experience has bolstered his confidence in the country's indigenous capabilities.

The Congress took a swipe at the prime minister after he took the sortie, saying it doesn't cost the "master of chunavi photo-ops" much to acknowledge the efforts and endeavours prior to 2014.

Reacting to Modi's sortie on Tejas, TMC MP Shantanu Sen reportedly said that he was afraid that “in no time this particular aircraft gets crashed.” Hitting back at the opposition parties, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said, "It shows the hatred that they have, not just for the honourable prime minister...but the welfare of Bharat as well." He said it was a “proud moment for every Indian” that the prime minister was flying in the Tejas which is an indigenous product and a symbol of the country's pride.

"Gone are the days when our armed forces were asking for bulletproof jackets, and Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and the then Congress government were busy in buying VVIP choppers for themselves and never cared for the jawans," he charged.

Bhatia said the world recognises the might of India today.

"And I must say that our prime minister who has the blessings of 140 crore Indians need not worry about certain Congress stooges, TMC stooges or opposition parties that make such irresponsible statements regarding the prime minister of the country,” he added.

Bhatia slammed the opposition parties, accusing them of playing negative politics all the time and said that the “poison” of hatred that they have for the prime minister will eventually lead them to their end in politics.

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