Srinagar, Oct 6: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday backed the INDIA bloc’s campaign against the Election Commission and said the issue of deletions from electoral rolls had also come under the scrutiny of the Supreme Court.
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Abdullah said the INDIA bloc leaders had finalised a calendar of programmes at a recent meeting in Delhi and that the campaign had begun with a march by its MPs towards the Election Commission.
He said the opposition had repeatedly raised concerns over deletions from voter lists and that the issue was now also being highlighted by the media.
“The Supreme Court has also sought answers from the Election Commission and the Government of India” over the deletions and the basis on which names were removed from the electoral rolls, he said.
“We will have to wait and see how far this issue will be rectified through the courts,” Abdullah said.
On the Uniform Civil Code, Abdullah questioned its implementation by individual states, saying a law of such significance should be brought before Parliament and debated there.
His remarks came in response to a question about the implementation of the UCC in West Bengal.
“We will not implement the Uniform Civil Code here,” Abdullah said, adding that Bihar and several other governments had also stated that they would not introduce it.
Abdullah said the UCC could not be described as “uniform” if it was implemented only in some states.
“If there is courage, bring a law in Parliament and debate it there,” he said.
He alleged that the BJP was pursuing the issue separately in its states because it did not have the numbers in Parliament to get such legislation passed.
On the deportation of refugees, including Rohingyas, Abdullah said those staying illegally could not remain in the country, but questioned the action against Rohingyas.
He said the Rohingyas had been given shelter after being driven out of their country and allowed to stay until conditions there improved.
“Taking action against them suddenly now seems strange to me,” he said.
However, Abdullah made it clear that the matter was under the jurisdiction of the Centre and that the police were not under the control of the J&K government.
“The Government of India is taking the assistance of the police in this matter. The police are also not under our control,” he said.
On the recent Cabinet decision regarding mobile towers, Abdullah said connectivity had become essential for accessing government services, banking and other digital facilities.
He said land would be allotted to BSNL in areas where mobile connectivity was unavailable to facilitate the installation of towers.
“Today, without connectivity, you cannot do anything,” he said, pointing out that several areas of Jammu and Kashmir still lacked mobile phone connectivity.
Explaining the decision to install ducts alongside roads, Abdullah said it was aimed at preventing repeated digging of roads by different departments and service providers.
He said roads were often dug up successively for laying water pipelines, electricity infrastructure and telecom cables.
“Wherever a road is constructed, a duct should be installed,” Abdullah said, adding that the ducts could subsequently be used for laying cables and other utilities without repeatedly damaging the roads.
