Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah on Wednesday linked political rivals Congress, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party to 26/11 Mumbai attacker Ajmal Kasab when he asked voters of Uttar Pradesh’s Chauri Chaura to “get rid of Kasab”. Shah warned those gathered at the election rally against misinterpreting his remarks, ANI reported.

“They [BJP’s rivals] will ask your religion and caste first. If that does not seem favourable to them, they won’t give you laptop,” Shah said.

He said the Ka in Kasab stood for the Congress, Sa for Samajwadi Party and B for Bahujan Samaj Party. The BJP leader’s statements appear to follow the style of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s abbreviation-heavy comments, including some from his speech in Meerut, where he said SCAM stood for “SP, Congress, Akhilesh and Mayawati”. State Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, in his election address, had rebutted with his version of the abbreviation which he said stood for “Save Country from Amit Shah and Modi”.

Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi slammed Shah’s comments on Wednesday and said there was a “need to end acronyms. It brings out the BJP’s repulsive thinking. It shows the party’s communal mindset,” ANI reported.

Modi had referred to Mayawati’s BSP as “Behenji Sampatti Party” which triggered a rebuttal by the UP leader who said the prime minister’s initials stood for “Negative Dalit Man”. She also expanded BJP to stand for Bharatiya Jumla Party on Wednesday.

The political jibes in the run up to the Assembly elections have been taken to a whole new level. Yadav had taken a dig at the prime minister when he asked veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan, the brand ambassador of Modi’s home state Gujarat, to stop promoting wild asses.

The state will have its fourth phase of voting on February 23 and the election results will be declared on March 11.