Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said he had no “parivar” but he understood the pain of families, appearing to address the Opposition’s allegation that he was impervious to the sufferings caused to households by steep price rise.

“Hum parivarwale nahin hain lekin har parivar ke dard ko pahchante hain. Kyonki pura Hindustan humara parivar hai, pura Uttar Pradesh mera parivar hai, aap sab mere parivar ke hain (I don’t have a family but recognise the pain of every family. The entire country is my family, the whole of Uttar Pradesh is my family, you all belong to my family),” Modi told an election rally at Bithariya in Barabanki district that is located between Lucknow and Ayodhya.

Ayodhya and Barabanki will go to the polls on February 27 in the fifth leg.

The Opposition has been alleging that Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath cannot fathom the miseries of families because they have no family.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav told a rally in Bahraich the BJP had accepted defeat. “BJP leaders have started removing party flags from their houses and cars because they know they have to leave now,” he said.