Bring UCC to Parliament, Not Through States, Omar Abdullah Tells BJP

<p>Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday put the BJP on notice over the Uniform Civil Code, saying the party should introduce the bill in Parliament if it has the numbers to pass it, rather than pursuing it through individual state governments.</p>
<p>"If you have the numbers, bring it to Parliament. Why are you doing it through different states? Anyway, within their own NDA, not everyone agrees with this. According to the news, Janata Dal (United) raised their hands and said this won't be implemented in Bihar," Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar.</p>
<p>He warned the BJP against bringing the UCC "through the backdoor", and said the resistance within the ruling alliance itself suggested the party knew it could not get the bill through Parliament. "The way their own allies are not in favour of it, I don't think they will be able to get it passed in Parliament. That is perhaps why they are taking this route," he said.</p>
<p>Abdullah also argued that a code applied only to BJP-governed states would defeat its very purpose. "The whole country is not a BJP-ruled state. There are a number of states and territories that the BJP does not rule. Therefore, if you apply it only to BJP states, it is not a universal law. And something that is of this nature should not be decided by individual states; it has to be decided by the country as a whole. The country as a whole is represented not in the states, but in Parliament," he said.</p>
<p>The chief minister noted a pattern in BJP's legislative approach. "Up until now, whatever legislation they spoke about, whether it was 'One Nation, One Election' or reservation, they did not bring those to Parliament. Now, for this one as well, they are talking about bringing it through the states," he said.</p>
<p>On the de-escalation along the Line of Actual Control, Abdullah said any reduction in tension was a welcome step, especially for those living close to the LAC or the Line of Control. "Similarly, we hope, over time, that along the Line of Control also, things will get better," he added.</p>
<p>Asked about China hailing India's foreign policy, Abdullah said New Delhi's foreign policy had always been independent and should not be evaluated through the lens of other countries' approval. "Our foreign policy is our own. Why do we look for other countries' certificates? The danger with something like this is that tomorrow were China to say something against our foreign policy, then what will you do? Therefore, I think we should not give too much importance to what other countries say about our foreign policy, whether positive or negative, because we can't cherry-pick," he said.</p>
<p>On the BRICS summit, Abdullah said the condemnation of the Pahalgam attack was a meaningful diplomatic achievement. "The fact that Pahalgam itself was condemned at the BRICS summit is a big thing. Please see how many allies of Pakistan were in that room. Therefore, for even Pahalgam to be mentioned by name, that in itself is a success of our foreign policy," he said.</p>