India's ruling party argues states are constitutionally required to implement controversial Waqf act changes

States cannot refuse to implement the Waqf Amendment Act, the BJP asserted on Monday citing constitutional provisions, and slammed the Congress and other INDIA bloc constituents over their continued opposition to the law. The assertions came after Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MLA and state minister Hafizul Hassan reportedly said that, to him, Sharia came first and then the Constitution, while Karnataka minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan claimed the law would not be implemented in the state. [ . . . ] Asked for comment, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi described their stance on the issue as "a matter of serious concern" and said they made it clear with their remarks that the Constitution would be in danger if their parties continued to remain in power. [ . . . ] "We want to make it clear that after the 73rd and the 74th amendments in the Constitution, powers of the Centre, state and district-level governments are clearly defined. No district panchayat can go beyond the law passed by the state assembly and no state can bypass the law passed by the Centre (Parliament)," the BJP Rajya Sabha MP said.
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