Srinagar, Sep 15: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has questioned the move by BJP-ruled states to pursue the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), saying legislation on an issue of national importance should be brought before Parliament rather than being introduced separately by individual states.
“If you have the numbers, bring it to Parliament. Why are you doing it separately in different states?” Abdullah said, arguing that the UCC could not be described as universal if it applied only to BJP-ruled states.
“The whole country is not BJP-ruled. There are a number of states and territories that the BJP does not govern,” he said.
Abdullah also pointed to differences within the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, saying some of its allies were not in favour of implementing the UCC in their states.
“According to reports, the Janata Dal (United) has directly said that it will not be implemented in Bihar. So if their own allies are not ready for it, how can they say that it should be implemented across the country?” he said.
He said a measure of such significance should be decided by Parliament, which represents the country as a whole.
“Something of this nature should not be decided by individual states. It has to be decided by the country as a whole,” Abdullah said.
“The country as a whole is represented not in the states but in Parliament. Let the legislation come to Parliament.”
Abdullah also questioned why the government was pursuing the UCC through states while other major legislative proposals had been discussed in the context of Parliament.
“So far, whenever they have talked about legislation in Parliament, whether it is One Nation, One Election or reservation, they have not brought it to Parliament,” he said. “Now, with this too, they are talking about bringing it in the states. Bring it to Parliament and let us see whether you can pass it.”
‘Our foreign policy is our own’
On China’s reported praise of India’s foreign policy, Abdullah said New Delhi should not attach undue importance to assessments from other countries, whether positive or negative.
“Our foreign policy is our own. Why do we look for certificates from other countries?” he asked.
He warned against selectively welcoming foreign comments when they were favourable while rejecting them when they were critical.
“The danger with something like this is that tomorrow, if China says something against our foreign policy, then what will you do?” Abdullah said.
“I don’t think we should — rather, we shouldn’t — give too much importance to what other countries say about our foreign policy, whether positive or negative, because we cannot cherry-pick.”
He added: “We should neither want their praise nor their criticism. Our foreign policy is our own. We should focus on that.”
‘A good step’ on LAC
On reports of a reduction in Chinese deployments along the Line of Actual Control, Abdullah welcomed any move that could reduce tensions along the India-China frontier.
“Anything that reduces tensions on the Line of Control or the Line of Actual Control is a good step, particularly for those people who live close to it,” he said.
Abdullah said residents living near the LoC and LAC were particularly affected by tensions and military deployments.
“We know how difficult it is for people to live close to the LoC or LAC,” he said. “So, if there is any step that reduces deployments along the Line of Actual Control, that is a good step.”
He said he hoped a similar improvement would eventually take place along the Line of Control.
“Similarly, we hope that, over time, things will get better along the Line of Control as well,” he said.
On Pahalgam attack
Asked about the National Conference’s condemnation of the Pahalgam attack without explicitly naming Pakistan, Abdullah said the issue was primarily for the Centre and the Ministry of External Affairs to address.
“That is something for the Government of India, and particularly the Ministry of External Affairs, to talk about,” he said.
Abdullah argued that the fact that the Pahalgam attack had been mentioned in the international condemnation was itself significant, particularly given the presence of countries considered allies of Pakistan.
“The fact that Pahalgam itself was condemned is a big thing,” he said. “Please see how many allies of Pakistan were in that room.”
He added: “For even Pahalgam to be mentioned by name, that in itself is a success of our foreign policy.”
“Now, okay, it has happened. Let us move forward. Let’s move on,” Abdullah said.
