"Not Acceptable, Will Always Oppose It": Omar Abdullah On Waqf Bill

J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Tuesday that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill is not acceptable to him and he will always oppose it.

"Waqf Amendment Bill is not acceptable to me, and I will always oppose it," said the Chief Minister while talking to media persons on the sidelines of an official function here after inaugurating the free bus service for women.

Earlier, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju informed that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill will be tabled in the Lok Sabha on April 2 (Wednesday), soon after the Question Hour and will be followed by a comprehensive and detailed discussion extending up to eight hours.

Talking to media persons, the Minister for Minority Affairs said: "Some members wanted six hours, others wanted four hours. However, the Opposition demanded 12 hours for the discussion, but a broad consensus was reached for an eight-hour-long discussion on the bill. Depending on the sense of the House, the Speaker could take the decision to extend it as well.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister on Tuesday inaugurated the free bus services for women in Jammu & Kashmir at Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar.

He was accompanied by Minister for Social Welfare and Education, Sakina Itoo, Advisor to Chief Minister, Nasir Aslam Wani, MLA, Zadibal, Tanveer Sadiq and other functionaries.

Omar Abdullah described the free bus service for women as a great initiative of his government, adding that the free services will remain available from Tuesday onwards in all the districts of Jammu & Kashmir.

He said that his government will compensate the State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) and Smart Bus Transport agencies for providing the free service.

In reply to a question, Omar Abdullah said that the forthcoming visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah is not connected with the Kathua encounter.

He said his government has high hopes from the Union Home Minister's visit.

Amit Shah is arriving on a visit to J&K next week. The Home Minister's visit comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on April 19. PM Modi will inaugurate the 272-kms-long Katra-Baramulla Vande Bharat train service.

The project includes the world's highest railway bridge over the Chenab River in Ramban district and the Anji Khad cable-stayed railway bridge in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district.

This is India's first cable-stayed railway bridge.

The bridge is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)