New Delhi, May 24 (PTI) The BJP on Saturday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for calling the Pakistan Army's "act of terror" in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch a "tragedy", accusing him of rubbing salt on the wounds of the victims of cross border shelling and giving a cover fire to Islamabad with his remark.

Gandhi is more suited for the role of the "leader of Pakistani propaganda" than the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, the BJP charged and asked the Congress leader to stop doing "comedy in the name of tragedy".

Also Read | Andhra Pradesh Horror: Man Lures 3-Year-Old Girl Into Bushes With Sweets, Rapes and Kills Her in YSR Kadapa District; Arrested.

This came after Gandhi met the victims of the cross-border shelling by Pakistani troops in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch and described the damage caused as a "big tragedy", pledging to highlight their plight at the national level.

Taking serious exception to the Congress leader's remark, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, "Rahul Gandhi in his statement said that what happened in Poonch was a tragedy. Rahul Gandhi is calling (Pakistan Army's) act of terror an act of tragedy."

Also Read | LIC Scripts History, Bags Guinness World Record for Selling Highest Life Insurance Policies in 24 Hours.

The entire country is shocked and upset with his remarks, he told reporters here.

The BJP spokesperson said the Pakistani Army with its "terrorist mindset" rained bullets and killed unarmed innocent civilians, including in Poonch.

They also fired at Gurudwara and the devotees, who were performing puja there, he added.

"Rahul Gandhi indulges in white washing, calls an act of terror an act of tragedy," Poonawalla charged said "you have rubbed salt on our wounds".

The BJP spokesperson alleged that the Congress and Gandhi family have "always whitewashed" Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in India and gave a "cover fire" to Islamabad's criminal actions.

"The Congress did so by blaming Hindutva for the 2008 Mumbai terror strike, gave a clean chit to Pakistan in the Samjhauta Express blast case calling it Hindutva terror, Randeep Surjewala (Congress leader) had given clean chit to Pakistan calling Pulwama terror strike an insider job and job of home grown terrorists," he said.

Within 24 hours of the Pahalgam terror strike last month, Robert Vadra, Rahul Gandhi's family member and husband of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, had put its blame on Hindutva, Poonawalla charged.

"Rahul Gandhi and his family always provide cover fire to Pakistan's terrorism, Pakistan's misdeeds and Pakistan's criminal actions," the BJP spokesperson alleged.

"All these are neither a coincidence nor any experiment, but the Congress' direct cooperation to Pakistan," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)