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Updated: Apr 28, 2019 19:44 IST

Hitting out at the Opposition, finance minister Arun Jaitley Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has never done caste politics and is inspired by nationalism.

“How is the Prime Minister’s caste relevant? He has never done caste politics. He has only done developmental politics. He is inspired by nationalism,” Jaitley said joining the war of words on Twitter over Modi coming from the “most backward caste”.

He further said those who are deceiving the poor in the name of caste will not succeed and added that “they have only amassed wealth in the name of caste politics. The Prime Minister’s assets are not even 0.01% when compared to the First Family of the BSP or the RJD.”

The minister was responding to tweets of senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav with regard to a statement made by the prime minister at an election rally at Kannauj.

At the poll rally on Saturday, the prime minister had said, “Mayawatiji, I am the most backward...I request with folded hands not to drag me into caste politics, 130 crore people are my family… This country did not know my caste till my detractors abused me...I am thankful to Mayawatiji, Akhileshji, the Congress people and the ‘mahamilavatis’ that they are discussing my caste...I believe that taking birth in a backward caste is an opportunity to serve the country.”

Tejashwi Yadav tweeted Sunday: “I had said on April 20 (2019) said that @narendramodi ji, after portraying himself as fake OBC, will call himself a person belonging to extremely backward caste. He did so yesterday (in Kannauj rally in UP).

“The fact is that he is an upper caste (person) by birth and backward on papers. He (PM) will say so many things just to fetch votes.” Criticising Modi over his stance on caste and his “origins as a chaiwala”, Chidambaram asked if the PM considers people a “bunch of idiots” who have suffered memory loss.

“Mr Narendra Modi is the first person who became PM later who campaigned wearing his caste on his sleeve (2014): ‘‘I am an OBC’‘. Now, he says he has no caste!” Chidambaram tweeted.

“In 2014 and thereafter, he said repeatedly that he is proud that the people elected a chaiwala as PM. Now he says, he never mentioned his origins as a chaiwala! What does the PM take us for? A bunch of idiots who have large memory losses?” he asked.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)