Omar Abdullah Praises Modi's 25-Year Political Journey

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 25-year political journey, while sharply criticising the proposed electoral processes in the Union Territory and expressing concern over possible irregularities in the revision of voter rolls.

Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Abdullah said remaining electorally successful for a quarter century and rising to the national level was no easy feat, acknowledging the public support that had helped Modi reach the country's top political office.

"Sustaining victories for 25 years is not simple. People kept voting for him again and again, and that's how he reached the national stage," Abdullah said. "I congratulate him -- personally and on behalf of my colleagues."

Turning to J&K's electoral processes, the chief minister expressed apprehension over the forthcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, drawing parallels with the delimitation exercise in the Union Territory. "We have already been victims of this game. We have not forgotten the delimitation," he said, alleging that the exercise was intended to benefit the BJP.

"The purpose of delimitation was to help the BJP. The same can happen in the SIR," Abdullah said. He, however, expressed hope that ongoing Supreme Court proceedings, particularly those concerning Form 6, would make it difficult for authorities to arbitrarily delete names from electoral rolls. "I hope the Supreme Court's scrutiny, especially on Form 6, will make it difficult for them to delete names from voter lists," he said.

Abdullah also questioned the government's response to allegations concerning the Chief Election Commissioner and protests over the issue, including the detention of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. "If these allegations are fabricated, why hasn't the government taken action? At least a defamation case could have been filed," he said, referring to a report in The Indian Express.

He said the protests were part of a coordinated programme announced by the INDIA bloc in Delhi. "The calendar for the entire month was shared with the media. We are simply taking it forward," Abdullah said. On Tuesday, Abdullah had welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to seek responses on large-scale deletions during the SIR, saying it validated concerns raised by opposition leaders.

"The media has now proven what we had been saying. It's good that national attention is finally on this issue," he had said. The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and the Election Commission on the matter. Abdullah said he would wait to see "to what extent it is corrected".

The chief minister also criticised the BJP's push for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), arguing that implementing it only in some BJP-ruled states undermined the principle of uniformity. "A Uniform Civil Code is not uniform unless implemented everywhere. We will not implement it in Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

Abdullah challenged the BJP to introduce the UCC as legislation in Parliament instead of "testing it state by state". "If they have the courage, bring a bill to Parliament. Debate it. See if it passes. They won't -- because they don't have the numbers," he said. Abdullah also indicated that a reshuffle of his Council of Ministers could take place soon, saying the recently concluded Assembly session had delayed the process. "I would have done it these days, but the session just ended," he said.

He added that he would first attend the GST Council meeting in Delhi on Thursday before consulting National Conference president Farooq Abdullah.