PUSHKAR: With issues like jobs and development taking a backseat, personal attacks and caste factor have become the focus of political parties during an intensive poll campaign for the upcoming assembly elections in five states. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at the Congress party for remarks on his caste, the Congress has alleged the BJP was raking up caste and religion in its public rallies as it has nothing to offer.

Now on Monday, Congress President Rahul Gandhi has responded to the BJP's demand of declaring his 'gotra' (clan) and said he is a Kaul Brahmin and belongs to the Dattatreya gotra. Gandhi told this to priests during the 'puja' at the Brahma temple in Rajasthan's Pushkar city.

The priest said, "Rahul Gandhi came to the temple to perform 'puja.' His gotra is Dattatreya and they (his family) are Kashmiri Brahmins. They lived in Allahabad near a 'neher' (canal), thus they were called Nehru. Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, are all Kashmiri Pandits."

Kaul, derived from the Sanskrit word 'kul', is a surname used by Kashmiri Pandits.

A similar trivia about Rahul Gandhi had surfaced ahead of Gujarat assembly elections in the wake of his frequent temple visits in the state, when he revealed that he is not only a Hindu but a 'Janeu Dhari Hindu,' one who wears a sacred thread.

Last month, calling Gandhi's temple visits as "fancy dress Hinduism", the BJP has asked the Congress chief to make it clear which 'gotra' (clan) does he belong to. "After the Antony committee's report, Rahul Gandhi is exhibiting fancy dress Hinduism continuously. To mislead the Hindus, he is sporting a "janeu" (scared thread) over the shirt. We demand that 'janeudhari' Rahul Gandhi clarify to which 'gotra' (clan) does he belong to," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra had said.

Since Gandhi had not given any answer to this question, people were calling him a "Vatican gotra ka Brahmin", Patra had said.

The Congress chief's mother, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, is an Italian by birth.