Jammu/Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Tuesday that Parliament will take a final call on the Uniform Civil Code and the Waqf (amendment) bill.
Uttarakhand on Monday became the first state to implement UCC with the ruling BJP fulfilling a major commitment made ahead of the 2022 assembly polls, while the Joint Parliamentary Committee scrutinising the Waqf (Amendment) Bill adopted all amendments proposed by the ruling BJP-led NDA members and negated every change moved by opposition members.
“Let them do what they want to do till a law is enacted for the country. Finally, it is Parliament which will decide on this and not the individual UTs or States,” Abdullah told reporters here, reacting to the implementation of the UCC in Uttarakhand.
In response to another question related to the Waqf bill, he said the parliamentary committee is still holding discussions and the government is not implementing any law.
In the recent past, Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq met the committee and put forth his viewpoint.
“Let the committee complete its work, then Parliament will discuss its report,” the chief minister said.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said his government is concentrating on resolving people’s issues and that it makes no sense to count how many days the government has been in place in Jammu and Kashmir.
“It serves no purpose when we talk of 100 days of working. You know it is a different era in place after a period of six years. It takes time to understand the domain and functioning of the government.
“Earlier I had served as chief minister of the state and there were special provisions people were enjoying, but today it is a union territory which is entirely different. But it is our endeavour to maintain good relations between people and the government and we have succeeded in it,” Omar Abdullah said during a programme organised by a TV channel.
“We also tried to start fulfilling promises made in the election manifesto…,” he claimed.
The chief minister admitted the hiccups in functioning of the government, as the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is being commanded and controlled from two power centres.
“We are transferring KAS officers, while IAS is being transferred from Raj Bhawan. This is due to the dual control system. The cabinet decisions are being sent to the Lieutenant Governor’s office for approval. LG is taking care of law & order here under the orders of New Delhi.
“Earlier it was the State cabinet which would decide who will be DC, SP, IG, Div Com, Chief Secretary, etc, and now we are not deciding their appointments. Their command and control is not in our hands; but we feel this system will not remain in place for long,” Omar Abdullah hoped.
He highlighted that the elected government of J&K is not powerless. “The government is not powerless. Had we been powerless, then you would have questioned LG, and not me. If today elected representatives are sitting in front of you, it means there is something in our hands,” he said.
He also said that during elections his party didn’t hide anything from people. “We clarified each and everything that if we have to resolve 100 percent issues, that needs full-fledged statehood. But still I will say that there are issues which can be addressed and resolved despite J&K being a UT. We are hopeful the dual power will not remain in place for long as Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the inaugural ceremony of Z-Morh Tunnel said that he will not renege on his promises. We are chasing our targets and we will ensure our goals are achieved,” he said.
When asked about resolutions passed by his Cabinet and Legislative Assembly, the chief minister said that both resolutions exist. “I myself handed over the cabinet resolution to PM Narendra Modi. The assembly resolution is more worthy and meaningful for me, and we sent it to New Delhi, which didn’t reject it. It is a big success for us,” he claimed.
When asked about the promise of restoration of Article 370 and 35(A), he said: “It will be like cheating people if we tell them that we will get back rights from those who took away the same from us. This will be a foolish commitment. At least we won’t cheat our people. If BJP would wait for years to abrogate the special status of J&K, why shouldn’t we wait for some time to get it back,” he said.
He said, “I don’t think there is room to be satisfied with the work done in the previous 100 days. I believe there is a need to do more and more. I can say at least we have succeeded in restoring the connection between the government and the people.”
To a query about transfers of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officers who were investigating alleged scam in Srinagar Smart City works, Omar Abdullah expressed concern over the move, stating that such transfers undermine the principles of transparency and accountability.
“These transfers should not have taken place,” he remarked. However, he clarified that the ACB does not fall under his jurisdiction. “If this department were under my control, such transfers perhaps wouldn’t have occurred,” he added.
