Patna: Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Sunday flagged the BJP's relationship with the minorities and the bypoll defeats in Uttar Pradesh as worrying signs for the National Democratic Alliance.

"The present NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is doing a lot for the emancipation and uplift of minorities, but the party has failed to change its perception towards minorities," the LJP chief said in Patna.

He said the defeat of BJP candidates in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur and Phulpur was serious. "The loss of BJP in Araria parliamentary constituency and Jehanabad Assembly seat is due to sympathy for RJD candidates, but Gorakhpur is a cause of concern not only for the BJP but for the entire NDA," he said.

The Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party's Praveen Kumar Nishad, backed by Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party, defeated the BJP's Upendra Dutt Shukla in Gorakhpur by around 22,000 votes.

Paswan said that the selection of candidates was wrong. "Caste is a reality in the Hindi heartland. Selection of candidates must be done considering the social demography of the region," he said.

Paswan also reiterated what he had reportedly said on Saturday - that the BJP can learn from the Congress.

"NDA is doing a lot of work but the BJP being the big brother should take all sections of society along - like the Congress which ruled the country for decades by building an inclusive society," he said.

Asked about anti-minority statements from several BJP leaders in the aftermath of the bypolls, Paswan said: "Such comments should be condemned at the highest level."

RJD chief Lalu Prasad often ribs Paswan as mausam vaigyanik (Met scientist) - one who knows which way the political wind is blowing and switches sides accordingly.

Paswan, however, on Sunday said: "I am with the NDA and will remain with the NDA. There is no plan to join the UPA."