New Delhi, Oct 11 (PTI): Hitting out at opposition parties over remarks on Narendra Modi's visit to Lucknow today, BJP said he does not need their permission to visit any part of the country as he is the Prime Minister of 125 crore people of India and a Lok Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh.

It said the country is proud of Modi who believes in action and salutes him and the armed forces for the surgical strikes which targeted terror launch pads across the LoC.

"Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister of 125 crore people. He is an MP from Uttar Pradesh. He does not need anybody's permission to visit anywhere. The whole country is proud of a PM who believes in work and action," BJP National Secretary Shrikant Sharma said.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had taken a dig at Modi over his Dussehra visit to the Aishbagh Dussehra Mela in Lucknow, saying he would have visited Bihar had the state been facing elections like Uttar Pradesh.

BSP supremo Mayawati and Congress have accused Modi of politicising the surgical strikes for political gains.

Sharma alleged that leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati and Akhilesh have been "unsuccessful" in their work and are frustrated with Modi's popularity.

"He is a prime minister committed to rooting out terrorism and corruption. The people of UP and country are proud of him. These opposition leaders are frustrated and suffer from Modi phobia," he said.

By questioning Modi's visit to UP, they are insulting people of the state, he alleged.

India had long been defensive over terrorism and the prestige of its armed forces went up after they launched "for the first time" such surgical strikes which were earlier carried out by the likes of the US and Israel, he claimed.