Narendra Modi in Amethi on Monday
Narendra Modi today hit back at the Congress's Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who had attacked him yesterday for what she described as "neech rajniti or low-level politics" after he campaigned in Amethi, her brother Rahul's constituency.
"I belong to a lower caste of society that's why they think my politics is low-level politics," Mr Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, tweeted on Tuesday morning. "This low-level politics will rescue our country from 60 years of misrule and vote-bank politics, and wipe the tears of millions," he said.
On cue, another BJP leader, Sushil Kumar Modi, tweeted, "For the first time a person from lower caste has dared to challenge the dynastic politics of Nehru Gandhi family.They are unable to digest. (sic)"
On Monday, Mr Modi stormed the Gandhi citadel of Amethi and, for the first time, also attacked Priyanka Gandhi directly for what he called her "arrogance".
In response, she declared that for his "neech rajniti (low-level politics)", each polling booth in Amethi will exact revenge. Without naming Mr Modi, Priyanka said, "They have insulted my martyred father in Amethi...the people here will never forgive him."
Amethi was also the constituency of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who was assassinated in 1991. His son, Rahul, has represented it in Parliament since 2004.
At his rally, Mr Modi had alleged that an Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister was "punished" because he did not receive Rajiv Gandhi at the airport. Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has demanded an apology from Mr Modi.
The BJP has alleged that Ms Vadra's comment stems from a "feudal mindset."
"Particularly with Modi they have a feudal mindset and for them the poor people, generally from the backward class, have been treated as a vote bank. They are realising that somebody from that class is coming up as a Prime Minister, he is popular, " said the BJP's Siddharth Nath Singh.
The Congress' Rashid Alvi attempted to undo the connection that the BJP leaders are making. "Narendra Modi is himself telling the country which caste he belongs to, nobody knew that...Not just Modi, the BJP's upper caste and lower caste leaders are indulging in 'neech' politics....'Neech rajniti' can this be connected to any community, any religion."