JAMNAGAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the Opposition to use "common sense" when it speaks about the Rafale jets. He was referring to the Opposition's questioning of his statement that the presence of Rafale fighters would have given greater firepower to the IAF during the February 27 Balakot strikes in Pakistan.

"I said if Rafale was acquired in time it would have made a difference (during the February 27 dogfight), but they say Modi is questioning our air force strike," he said, addressing a gathering in Gujarat's Jamnagar on Monday. "Please use common sense. What I said was if we had Rafale at the time (of aerial dogfight), then none of our fighter jets would have gone down and none of theirs saved," he added.

The prime minister, who is on a two-day visit to his home state, said: "The nation agrees that the disease of terrorism has to be eliminated. I want to ask you, don't you trust what our armed forces say?

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"Should or should not everyone, including me, believe in our armed forces without raising questions? We should be proud of our armed forces."

Lashing out at statements from opposition party leaders who demanded proof of the February 26 air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot, Modi said his objective was to end terror while that of the opposition was to remove him.

"The root of terrorism disease is in neighbouring country, should we not cure the disease from its root," he said.

"Even if mentors of those seeking to destroy India are outside, this country won't sit quietly," he said,

Modi was addressing the rally after inaugurating a 750-bed annexe and PG hostel of the Guru Gobind Singh Hospital here. He also laid the foundation stones of various development projects in the Saurashtra region.