New Delhi, Feb 8 : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was on Thursday fact-checked by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over his 'baseless & unfounded' claims that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not born into the Other Backward Class Community (OBC).

Rahul, during his Odisha leg of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, had accused the Prime Minister of 'misleading' the nation by identifying himself as an OBC member. He said that Narendra Modi's Ghanchi caste was included in the OBC list after BJP government came to power in Gujarat.

BJP I-T cell in-charge Amit Malviya shared official government document from the Gazette of India to refute his claims on Modi's OBC status.

Rubbishing the 'blatant lies' of Congress leader, Malviya wrote, 'Modi's caste was notified as an OBC on October 27, 1999, a full two years before he became the Chief Minister of Gujarat.'

The official records in Gazette of India show that the notification released in 1999, listed Narendra Modi's caste as OBC. This came about two years, before he assumed the post of Gujarat Chief Minister.

The government document clearly establishes the truth and goes to debunk the 'brazen lies' of Rahul Gandhi. The BJP also stepped up attack on Rahul and accused him of spreading fake propaganda & deceiving the public.

Rahul, during Nyay Yatra in Odisha had claimed that Narendra Modi was not born in OBC community and hence was against the welfare of OBCs despite them comprising 50% of the country's population.

Notably, Rahul's 'caste attack' on Prime Minister came at a time when government and Opposition are engaged in squabble for caste census on national level.

Congress has been demanding national caste census, reasoning that this will allow communities to get adequate representation as per their population. BJP hasn't openly objected to the move but has remained averse to the proposal.

/IANS