Raking up the caste issue, Narendra Modi today charged Congress with starting the politics of "untouchability and hatred" and Sonia Gandhi of resorting to "unch aur neech" politics for salvaging the "lost political ground" in the ongoing elections.

"Who started the politics of untouchability in the country?" he asked the people at an election meeting in Motihari, Bihar, favour of BJP candidate Radhamohan Singh.

"The same people who do votebank politics had started the politics of untouchability," he said referring to Congress.

"During the entire election process, we have never wavered from development-based politics", the BJP prime ministerial candidate said charging the Congress president with resorting to 'unch aur neech' (high and low) politics.

"Madam you are a party President. You keep using terms like 'unch' and 'neech', it does not look good," he said, adding the Congress was trying to "salvage the lost political ground".