Kaithal:  Home minister and BJP chief Amit Shah on Wednesday (October 9) slammed Congress leaders for mocking defence minister Rajnath Singh performing "Shastra Puja" after receiving the first Rafale fighter jet in France.

Addressing an election rally, Shah also targeted Congress for not being able to repeal Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir over its long rule even as people of the country wanted to do so.

"On August 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi repealed Article 370.  For 70 years, every citizen has this feeling that Jammu and Kashmir is not fully integrated with the country.  Those who ruled for three generations did not have the guts to remove Article 370," he said.

Shah said that 'Shastra Puja' is done on Vijayadashami which symbolises the victory of good over evil.

He congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajnath Singh over India’s procurement of its first Rafale fighter jet and said it would strengthen the country's security.

"Defence minister Rajnath Singh performed 'Shastra Puja' of Rafale yesterday (October 8) in France.  But Congress leaders are opposing even this. Is 'Shastra Puja' not performed on Vijayadashami? I want to tell them to think about what should be opposed and what not," he said.

On Wednesday, Karnataka Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge had criticised Rajnath Singh for performing "Shastra Puja" on the newly purchased Rafale jet saying, "There is no need to do such 'tamasha' (drama). When we bought weapons-like the Bofors gun previously purchased, no one went and brought them while showing off."

Party leader Udit Raj also raised objections to it saying that the day "superstition" ends, India will make such a fighter aircraft itself.

Singh performed Shastra Puja (worship of weapons) on Dussehra after receiving the first of the 36 Rafale jets in the French port city of Bordeaux on Tuesday.  He wrote "Om" on the jet and placed lemons before it as part of the rituals.