Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah on Monday said the Narendra Modi government has a zero tolerance policy for terror and that security forces retaliate at an appropriate time. His remarks come four days after 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed in a suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama.

“The BJP government has held a strong policy to fight terrorism on all fronts and has been successful in it,” Shah said in Jaipur while addressing the party’s Shakti Kendra Sammelan. “Be it on the diplomatic front or about a bullet for a bullet, the BJP has always adopted a zero tolerance policy for terrorism.”

Shah said the party stands with the families of the CRPF jawans who were killed in the attack on Thursday. “The Narendra Modi government will ensure the sacrifice of the jawans will not go in vain. An appropriate answer for their sacrifice will be given by the Army,” he said.

Speaking about the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the BJP president said the 2019 polls would be a fight between ideologies. While the BJP’s ideology is development for the poor, the Opposition alliance’s is solely to gain power, he claimed.

He again challenged the Opposition parties’ grand alliance to declare their prime ministerial candidate. “Are leaders in the Opposition alliance going to take turns through the week to act as the prime minister each day and the nation will be on a holiday on Sundays?” he asked. The BJP has repeatedly taken a dig at the Opposition’s “mahagathbandhan” and its lack of clarity about a prime ministerial candidate.