Union minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday slammed Rahul Gandhi for raising doubts over the caste of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the Congress leader can make any outlandish claims to hog headlines.

Speaking to reporters here, Thakur also accused Gandhi of dividing the nation by indulging in politics of casteism and regionalism.

"These people -- Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal --“ make outlandish statements just to hog headlines by raising questions about Modi's caste and OBC status," Thakur said.

Thakur's remarks came after Gandhi said Modi was misleading the people by claiming that he belonged to the OBC community as he was born in a family that belonged to the general category.

Thakur said it was the Congress government in Gujarat that had recommended inclusion of 'Modh Ghanchi' community in the list of OBCs on July 25, 1994.

The senior BJP leader also demanded that Gandhi apologise to the nation for "insulting the OBC community" by his remarks.

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