New Delhi, April 2 (IANS): Terming as "shameful" the remark of Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh that giving compensation to the families of 39 Indian workers killed in Iraq "is not like distributing biscuits", the Congress on Monday demanded that he be sacked.

It also demanded an apology from him as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the remark was "shameful, reprehensible and unacceptable".

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her deputy V.K. Singh continued to mislead the families of 39 Indians, killed by ISIS in Iraq's Mosul, by giving them false hopes that they were alive though knowing well there was overwhelming evidence that they had been killed.

"And now, that their mortal remains are becoming back, instead of holding hands, sympathising with the families and providing succour in form of compensation and jobs to the families... the completely inhuman statement of Singh that giving compensation is not like distributing biscuits, is shameful, reprehensible, unacceptable in a democracy."

"Arrogance has gone to the head of Modi government and its ministers. Does Singh feel that the 39 families are beggars.Isn't he the same person who compared Dalit children with dogs. Should the PM and Singh not apologise for this?" he asked.

"He has no right to continue as a minister even for a single day and he should be sacked. Prime Minister must give Rs 1 crore of compensation and a job to each one of these families," he added.

Asked about the compensation to the families, Singh, who accompanied the mortal remains back from Mosul, said: "This is not like distributing biscuits, I do not have like a box of money in my pocket that I will just declare the compensation right now... this matter concerns people's lives."