"I demand from the Congress President that he must apologise to the families of the slain troopers," Shah told the media here.

Shah's statement came in response to Pitroda's comments that incidents like the Pulwama suicide bombing that killed 40 CRPF troopers, "happen all the time" and that the UPA government also could have sent planes to Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack but "that is not the right approach".

Shah questioned whether the Congress considered heinous attacks as a normal phenomenon.

"At a time when the country is growing rapidly towards the general election and the issue of national security is important for the voters, the statement of Sam Pitroda is very unfortunate," he said.

He slammed the Congress saying that doubting the Indian Air Force was not right for any party's national president.

He said that the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre has adopted a zero tolerance policy towards terrorism.