Ranchi, Apr 17 (PTI) BJP workers led by Jharkhand unit chief Babulal Marandi on Thursday took out a protest march in the state capital Ranchi demanding the resignation of Minority Affairs Minister Hafizul Hasan over his purported remarks on the Constitution.

Hasan, who courted controversy on April 14 for his alleged “Shariat over Constitution” remark, however, later claimed his comment was misconstrued by the media and asserted that both Shariat and Constitution were equally important for him.

Holding copies of the Constitution in their hands, BJP workers led by Marandi took out their ‘Aakrosh Pradarshan’ rally from Zilla School Ground against the JMM-led government and the minister.

BJP state working president Ravindra Rai alleged that communal forces have been emboldened under the Hemant Soren government.

“He should be ousted from the government. The country will run only on the basis of the Constitution given by Dr B R Ambedkar and it will remain supreme,” Rai asserted.

Rajya Sabha MP Deepak Prakash said Chief Minister Hemant Soren must immediately seek the resignation of the minority affairs minister.

The BJP’s march concluded at Raj Bhawan, where a party delegation led by Marandi, handed over a memorandum to Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar on the issue.

“We met the governor and requested him to direct the chief minister to dismiss minister Hafizul Hasan from the cabinet for violating the dignity of the Constitution, insulting it, treating it as secondary, and prioritising Sharia over the Constitution,” Marandi told reporters outside the Raj Bhawan.

He claimed that Jharkhand is witnessing a state government-sponsored constitutional crisis.

“A minister, who takes oath under the Constitution, is blatantly violating its dignity,” Marandi alleged. PTI SAN SAN ACD