Stating that the UCC is “not universal” if it doesn’t apply to the whole country, Omar Abdullah said “the whole country is not a BJP ruled state”. (File Photo)Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said the ruling BJP should bring the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill through Parliament and not via different states or through the backdoor.“This is the job of the Parliament. If they have the numbers, they should bring this (UCC) through Parliament. Why are they doing it through different states? Not everyone in their NDA is in agreement on this matter. From what I hear, the Janata Dal United (JDU) has said that this will not be implemented in Bihar,” Omar told mediapersons outside his house.On the recently concluded BRICS Summit, Omar called the joint statement condemning the 2025 Pahalgam attack a “big thing”. He said, “Please see how many allies of Pakistan were in that room. Therefore, for Pahalgam to even be mentioned is in itself a big success of our foreign policy.”Also Read | Why Amit Shah’s 2029 UCC push is going through states, not ParliamentOn UCC, the J&K CM argued that when the BJP’s own allies are not on the same page, “how can they assume it will be implemented across the country? So, instead of backdoor, they should bring a Bill in Parliament.” He also said that given the reluctance of the allies, he does not believe that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be able to get the Bill passed in the House.Stating that the UCC is “not universal” if it doesn’t apply to the whole country, the CM said “the whole country is not a BJP ruled state”.“If the UCC is applied only to BJP-ruled states, it is not a universal law,” he said. “And something that is of this nature, should not be decided by individual states, it has to be decided by the country as a whole, which is represented in Parliament,” he added.Also Read | ‘Want Kashmiris in jail?’: Omar Abdullah hits back at Congress over Vande Mataram adviceOmar also pointed out that legislations such as “one nation, one election” or reservation, have not been brought to Parliament, “and now this one is also being routed through states.”Story continues below this adOn China lauding India’s foreign policy after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Omar said, “Why do we look for certificates from others?”Also Read | From the Urdu Press: ‘Nitish, Naidu face UCC test over secularism, minority rights’The danger with this, he added, is that “tomorrow were China to say something against our foreign policy, then what will you do?” He said, “Therefore, I think we should not give too much importance to what other countries say about our foreign policy, whether positive or negative, because we can’t cherry-pick. If they criticise us, we will say ‘don’t interfere in our foreign policy’.”Naveed Iqbal is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, and reports from Jammu and Kashmir. With a career spanning over 15 years in frontline journalism, Naveed provides authoritative reporting on the region’s transition, governance, and the socio-political implications of national policies. Expertise Regional Specialization: Based in the Srinagar and New Delhi bureaus, Naveed has spent over a decade documenting the unique challenges of Jammu and Kashmir. Her reporting is distinguished by deep contextual knowledge of the region's post-Article 370, statehood debates, and local electoral politics. Key Coverage Beats: Her extensive body of work covers: Politics & Governance: Tracking the National Conference (NC), PDP, and BJP dynamics, including in-depth coverage of J&K’s first Assembly sessions and Rajya Sabha polls following the reorganization of the state. Internal Security & Justice: Providing rigorous reporting on counter-insurgency operations, terror module investigations, and judicial developments involving political detainees and constitutional rights. Education & Minority Affairs: Highlighting systemic issues such as quota rows in J&K, public service commission reforms, and the challenges faced by minority communities. ... Read More