"Is the casteist mindset making you see some animals lesser than others?" he asked.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reacted to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's barb about advertisements for wild asses in Gujarat.
Modi said Akhilesh was afraid of the donkeys of Gujarat. "I can understand your attack on BJP and me, but you are attacking donkeys? Donkeys are loyal to their masters, " he said.
"I am bewildered by your comment. Is the casteist mindset making you see some animals lesser than others?" he asked. "I can understand if Akhilesh attacks me or BJP, but he has attacked donkeys even though they are thousand of kilometres away," Modi said.
"Akhilesh should know that when Congress was in power as part of UPA, it came out with postal stamps on donkeys of Gujarat," said Modi. "You have criticised the wild asses which belong to the same land which is the birthplace of Gandhi, Sardar Patel. Lord Krishna made it his 'karmabhoomi'," he said.
Akhilesh Yadav had on Monday appealed to Amitabh Bachchan (without actually naming him) to not campaign for the donkeys of Gujarat . "I would like to request the 'mahanayak' of the century (Amitabh Bachchan) not to campaign for the donkeys of Gujarat. Those who have seen the advertisement will understand whom we are talking about," said Akhilesh while addressing a rally.
"Have you ever heard of campaigning for donkeys? Gujarat's people are doing campaigns for donkeys... then they accuse me of working only for kabristan (graveyard)," he said in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'shamshan ghat-kabristan' comment.
At his rally on Thursday, Modi also berated the Congress-SP poll alliance in the rally. "Alliance with Congress was your compulsion, Congress will sink and also take you (SP) along," he said.
"Why is it that sugarcane farmers in UP face so many troubles? Why aren't their dues settled?" Modi asked.
"MLAs of your party (SP) are accused in heinous crimes and, Akhilesh, you are asking for votes in their name? UP doesn't deserve such a government," said Modi, referring to tainted UP minister Gayatri Prajapati, who has been booked in a rape case.
"People chant Gayatri mantra during auspicious occasions. But there are two people who are campaigning for Gayatri Prajapati. Those who go about chanting 'Gayatri Prajapati mantra' have no right to come to power," Modi said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Narendra Modi")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}