'Do they respect Ambedkar?': Kiren Rijiju on Mamata's refusal to implement Waqf law in Bengal

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju recently commented about West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's refusal to implement the Waqf law in her state. Rijiju said that this stance could indicate Banerjee does not believe in the Constitution of India. 

Calling Banerjee's statement "bizarre", he even accused Banerjee and other leaders of treating Muslims as mere vote bank and went onto ask if they respected Ambedkar at all. 

"Does Mamata or anybody not care for the people? They treat Muslims as mere vote bank. It will be a black day, the moment they defy... Anybody who says they will not obey the act passed by the Parliament of India - does he or she have any moral authority and Constitutional right to occupy that position and hold the Constitution book? Do they respect Ambedkar? What kind of message do they want to send? Very unfortunate," he said in an interaction with NDTV.

This, however, is not the first time that the BJP has condemned Banerjee's refusal to implement the Waqf law in Bengal.

Previously, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said it was "not right" for the West Bengal CM to make remarks against the Act which has been passed after hours of debate in the Parliament.

He also mentioned that she made such remarks against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) but it was implemented in the state later. 

“She made a similar statement during CAA. But the CAA was implemented in Bengal. It is a law enacted by Parliament that is implemented pan-India. If there is a difficulty during its implementation, suggestions can be made during the framing of rules," Meghwal said. 

Previously, Mamata Banerjee announced that the Waqf law would not be implemented in West Bengal just like the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens and Uniform Civil Code. 

Furthermore, she said: “Some people will provoke you to assemble and launch a movement. I will appeal to all of you not to do it. Please remember when Didi (Banerjee) is here, she will protect you and your property. Let us have trust in each other."

Bengal's Muslim-majority Murshidabad district has been on a boil since Friday when violence gripped the Dhualian area. A group of protestors clashed with the police at South 24 Parganas' Bhangar, leading to injuries to several people and the torching of multiple police vehicles.