Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Vinod Tawde Monday said the Congress is in a shambles in the state and also hit out at NCP chief Sharad Pawar over his statements against the party and the Modi government.

"The state Congress is in a shambles. The party is pressing its leaders to contest the Lok Sabha election, but many of them are reluctant," he said while talking to reporters here.

Tawde slammed Pawar over his statements against the BJP and the Modi government.

Pawar, a former defence minister, had Sunday said the BJP was trying to seek political gains from jawans' sacrifices.

The former Union minister had also sought to know if IAF pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman can be brought back from Pakistan, then why can't Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is facing espionage charges in the neighbouring country.

Taking a swipe at Modi, Pawar had said if the PM possessed a "56 inch chest", he should bring back Jadhav, a former Navy officer jailed in Pakistan.

Hitting back at Pawar, Tawde said, "It was him who doubted the authenticity of the (surgical) strike carried out by our jawans.

"He should know that Kulbhushan Jadhav was sentenced to death but it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who took the case to the International Court of Justice and stopped the Pakistani government from hanging Jadhav."

The BJP leader sought to know why the Congress-led UPA government, of which Pawar was a prominent member, did not act against Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

"Defence officials had sought permission from the UPA government to carry out surgical strike post 26/11 but Dr Manmohan Singh's government chose not to act.

"Pawar should ask his political ally (Congress) about it instead of pointing fingers at us," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)