New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said Friday that it will support the bill concerning enemy property only if it does not dilute the provisions of the ordinance promulgated by the government in July.
‘If the ordinance comes in the original form, we will support it. But if there is dilution, we will not support it,’ said BJP leader S.S. Ahluwalia.
He said the government was trying to dilute the provisions of the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill 2010, meant to replace the ordinance, under influence of leaders of a community.
‘It is very unfortunate that communalism is being brought into the matter. The law is for everybody,’ he said.
He said if the government wanted to bring an amendment, it should be in favour of people who are tenants in the enemy property vested in a custodian.
The Enemy Property Act, 1968, which followed the 1965 war between India and Pakistan, authorised the central government to appoint a custodian of property of Pakistani citizens.
Official sources said the government changed its mind on the law to replace the ordinance after a delegation of MPs from the minority community explained the fallout of the ordinance.
Home Minister P. Chidambaram had met BJP leaders in the Parliament House Thursday to seek support of the party to the amended Bill.
