India could not realise its full potential because groups like Dalits were discriminated against for a long time, he said.
"While taking oath we say we will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India. I think it should be added that we will also uphold the unity of the society... The nation will progress only when the society will work together," the Union Minister said at a function held to pay tributes to noted Dalit leaders.
Drawing a cricketing analogy, he said a team cannot play well if some of its players were not allowed to bat, ball and field and in the same manner a country cannot realise its true potential if every body was not given an equal chance.
BJP's Scheduled Castes Cell head Sanjay Paswan and party leader Suraj Bhan Kataria, who organised the event, said Dalit leaders should not be confined to one party or community as their contribution helped the entire nation.
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