Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday asserted that the "insult" of Babasaheb Ambedkar by RJD president Lalu Prasad was "no small error" and showed a "mindset of disrespect for Dalits".
The former BJP president made the remark at the party's state executive meeting here, which was held barely a couple of months ahead of the assembly polls in Bihar.
"Lalu Prasad had a portrait of Babasaheb Ambedkar placed at his feet. This was no small error but reflective of a mindset of disrespect for Dalits... Bihar has been cheated by people who hide their feudal attitude under the cloak of socialism," Singh said.
The former Bihar chief minister has been drawing flak over a video clip in which a portrait of Ambedkar was seen close to his feet when people were visiting his residence to greet him on his 78th birthday.
At a rally in Siwan district last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tore into the RJD supremo, asserting he will "never be forgiven by the people of Bihar and the country", even as the party insisted that the portrait was being held by a supporter and blamed "camera angle" for the confusion.
Earlier, before the meeting had started, Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal had told reporters that a resolution condemning the RJD supremo will be passed at the state executive.
Singh, who as the chief guest delivered a speech that was more than an hour long, also charged Prasad with "duplicity" by claiming to be a disciple of Karpoori Thakur "but using abusive language against the OBC icon while in private".
"I am not making this up. All this has been mentioned in detail by veteran journalist Sankarshan Thakur in his book 'Brothers Bihari'," claimed Singh. -- PTI