Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday questioned the rights of a state to implement the Uniform Civil Code, saying only Parliament has the power to do so.

Uttarakhand on Monday became the first state in the country to implement the UCC.

Asked by reporters about his opinion on the Uttarakhand government’s decision, Omar said states were not entitled to do so.

"Let them do it. Unless there is a law at the country level, let them do what they want to. In the end, the decision will be taken in Parliament, not by individual states or Union Territories," he said.

Omar said that the waqf amendment bill, too, would be discussed in Parliament. "No law has been passed (on waqf amendments). A committee of Parliament is sitting. Discussions are going on. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also went to the committee and put forward his point of view. Let the committee do its work, after that Parliament will discuss it," he said.

Issues like the waqf amendment bill and UCC deeply resonate in Kashmir where public opinion is against government interference in such matters.

Kashmir’s Ulema led by moderate Hurriyat chairman Farooq on Friday made a maiden presence in Parliament to voice their opposition to the waqf bill.

The memorandum presented by the Kashmir team to the JPC said the amendments "are completely against the interests of the Muslim community and also violate the universally accepted fundamental rights of communities". "We want no decision to be taken in haste, which will worsen the matter. We want all issues resolved through dialogue. Parliament is duty-bound to address the concerns of the Muslims,” the Mirwaiz had said.