I am union minister because of people not Congress: Lalu

Reacting sharply to the state Congress' demand for his removal from the union cabinet for his continued assault on the party, RJD president and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad on Monday said it was because of the people's mandate that he was in the government.

Reacting sharply to the state Congress' demand for his removal from the union cabinet for his continued assault on the party, RJD president and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad on Monday said it was because of the people's mandate that he was in the government.

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"Am I there in the ministry at Congress' favour? I am there as I have got the people's mandate," Lalu retorted angrily when reporters sought his comments on Bihar Congress President Anil Kumar Sharma statement on Sunday.

"Now go away and let me do my work," Lalu said before boarding a flight to campaign in Jharkhand. Sharma had yesterday requested the Congress high command to sack Lalu and LJP President Ramvilas Paswan from the union cabinet for their continued attacks on the party.

"The state Congress will send a proposal to the party high command to oust Lalu and Paswan for their disparaging remarks against our party," Sharma had said.

Lalu has rankled the Congress by apportioning blame on it for the Babri mosque demolition, prompting a denial by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who said the Congress government's fault was that it believed the solemn assurance by the then BJP chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Kalyan Singh that the mosque will not be demolished.