SRINAGAR: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said leaders of the INDIA bloc had finalised a programme of activities for October, beginning with a march by the bloc’s MPs to the Election Commission in Delhi.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Srinagar, Omar said the programme had already begun and would be followed by a series of further activities during the month.
He said concerns over the deletion of names from electoral rolls were now receiving greater attention, including from the Supreme Court, which has sought responses from the Election Commission and the Government of India.
“Now questions are being raised in Supreme Court too, especially on deletion of names from voter lists,” Omar said, adding that the extent to which the issue could be addressed through judicial intervention remained to be seen.
On the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Omar said Jammu and Kashmir would not implement it and argued that any move towards a uniform law should be debated and legislated upon by Parliament rather than introduced separately by states.
“Uniform Civil Code is not uniform till it is implemented everywhere. We will not implement Uniform Civil Code here,” he said.
Omar also referred to Bihar, saying Nitish Kumar’s party had stated that it would not implement the UCC, and said other governments had taken similar positions. He alleged that the BJP was pursuing the measure separately in states because it lacked the numbers to pass it in Parliament.
On mobile connectivity, the Chief Minister said the government had decided to allot land to BSNL in areas without mobile coverage to facilitate the installation of towers.
He said connectivity had become essential for accessing government services, banking and other facilities, particularly as technology and artificial intelligence expanded.
Omar also explained the government’s ducting policy, saying ducts would be laid alongside roads during construction so that utility agencies could use them for pipes, electricity lines and telecommunications cables without repeatedly digging up completed roads.
Asked about a statement made by his father and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, Omar said he had not heard the remarks and could not comment without knowing their context.
