Union Minister Ramvilas Paswan today alleged that Lalu Prasad in Bihar and Mulayam Singh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh have always treated minorities as their "bonded labourers".
The Union Food and Consumer Affair Minister also said that a wrong perception has been created about the Modi government being anti-minority and anti-dalit.
This perception is completely wrong as the present government has done a lot for both the sections of society, said Paswan, who is the chief of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), an ally of the BJP.
"(RJD chief) Lalu Prasad in Bihar and (Samajwadi Party patriarch) Mulayam Singh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh have always treated minorities as their bonded labourers," he said during an interaction with editors of newspapers and channels in the Jharkhand capital.
"On the other hand the Narendra Modi government at the Centre has done real work to change their social status," Paswan, a prominent dalit leader, said.
To a question about his party continuing in the ruling coalition in the 2019 general elections after results of bypolls went against the BJP-led NDA yesterday, he said, there is no question of changing sides."