M A I N   N E W S

Enemy Property Bill withdrawn
Faraz Ahmad
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 30
In an anti-climax, the much embarrassed UPA government today withdrew the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2010, after failing to win over either the BJP or Muslims.

Announcing this Union Home Minister P Chidambram told the Lok Sabha today, “Since the members sought more time to study the amendments, the government has decided to withdraw it. We will bring a new Bill in the next session of Parliament, which would address all concerns of the members.”

Chidambram’s statement came following an attempt both by the BJP and rival Mulayam Singh Yadav and Lalu Prasad duo to block its passage. Regretting this, the government sources said, “On Friday, it seemed that both the BJP and the others were satisfied with the amendments. That is why we included it in the list of business today. But once BJP, Lalu and Mulayam opposed it, there was no point of pushing it any further.” The sources also admitted that there were sharp differences in all parties including the Congress on the issue.

The withdrawal of the Enemy Property Bill was quite a come down for the Home Minister, who had seemed to have staked his personal prestige on this Bill. This Bill was to ratify an Ordinance, which sought to take any challenge to the Custodian’s occupation of ‘Enemy Property’ out of the purview of the judicial review.

The case of the erstwhile Raja of Mehmoodabad, whose properties were restored to him by the SC in 2005, has become the reference point for many Muslims fighting legal battles for decades against the occupation of their properties.