TEHELKA BUREAU
Srinagar, Sep 15: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has questioned the BJP’s strategy of pursuing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) state by state, saying an issue of national importance should instead be brought before Parliament.
“If you have the numbers, bring it to Parliament. Why are you doing it separately in different states?” Abdullah said.
He questioned how the UCC could be described as “universal” if it was implemented only in BJP-ruled states, pointing out that the BJP did not govern all states.
Abdullah also cited differences within the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, saying some allies were opposed to 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.
Abdullah said a measure of such significance should be decided at the national level through Parliament.
“Something of this nature should not be decided by individual states. It has to be decided by the country as a whole,” he said. “The country as a whole is represented not in the states but in Parliament. Let the legislation come to Parliament.”
He challenged the BJP to bring the proposed legislation before Parliament and test whether it had enough votes to pass.
“Bring it to Parliament and let us see whether you can pass it,” Abdullah said.
