PM Modi was addressing a rally in UP's Ballia.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today responded to Mayawati's allegation that he was using his caste to win votes, saying he has never indulged in caste politics despite fighting many elections in Gujarat. "I have only one caste - poverty. That's why I have rebelled against poverty," he said at a rally in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, pointing once again at his humble background that had become one of the key issues in the 2014 election.
Caste, one of the key deciding factors of any election in Uttar Pradesh, has been the flashpoint of the latest war of words between Mayawati and PM Modi. At its heart is the gangrape of a Dalit woman in Rajasthan's Alwar.
Earlier this week, Mayawati, accused of "shedding crocodile tears" over the case by PM Modi, had launched a scathing attack, accusing him of "dramebaazi (playacting) with his love for Dalits".
"Prime Minister Modi is using his caste and poor economic background to lure voters," said the leader, who commands a huge support base among the Scheduled Castes in the cow belt.
"The mahamilavati people are asking what is Modi's caste. I have been the Gujarat Chief Minister for longer than bua-babua have been Chief Ministers. I have fought many elections, but never did caste politics. I have not given gas cylinders, houses in the name of caste. I want to work for the country. I ask your vote for the country," the Prime Minister said.
"I accept their abuses as a gift. I don't have to answer their slurs. The people will do it," he added.
Ahead of the 2014 national elections, the Prime Minister's caste became an election issue after he referred to it during campaign, asking if it was a crime to be from a lower caste. Mayawati had questioned the claim and the Congress had contested it.