By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Swinging into action after TwoCircles.net yesterday broke the story about the Enemy Property (Amendment & Validation) Second Bill, 2010, today’s morning here saw lots of meetings between several Muslim Members of Parliament and civil society representatives in a bid to gather support against the bill.
As the day proceeded they intensified lobbying and by afternoon, several Muslim MPs gathered and drafted a letter that will be sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee (Rajya Sabha) on Home Affairs. They have urged the committee, which is working on the Bill, to extend the last date of accepting suggestions for one more month. The deadline is ending on 15th March 2011.
Parliament House [Photo: parliamentofindia.nic.in]
Several MPs including Asaduddin Owaisi, Ali Anwar, Mohd. Adeeb, Azeez Pasha, M A Khan, Zafar Ali Naqvi and D Raja have signed the letter and it is being made sure that more and more MPs recommend the extension of the last date.
The letter which is addressed to Mr. Naidu, goes like this, “It is requested to kindly extend the date for public comment till 15th April, 2011, for more comprehensive response from the general public and affected parties.”
Meanwhile, the efforts got boost from Minority Affairs Minister who said he will take up the issue with the committee chairman.
Talking to TwoCircles.net from Parliament Annexe, Navaid Hamid, Member, National Integration Council, said that the Minister of Minority Affairs Salman Khursheed has assured him and other Muslim MPs like Mohd. Adeeb that he would personally talk to Mr. Venkaiya Naidu, who heads the Committee. Naidu is Rajya Sabha Member and former president of BJP.
Ever since TCN broke this story, civil society representatives like Aariz Mohammed, director Center for Social Justice and Mr. Hamid have been discussing the issue with MPs to make sure that the political representatives of people pressurize the Committee to extend the dates.
It’s important to mention here that yesterday TwoCircles.net highlighted the story that there were just two days left for the civil society to send suggestion to the Parliamentary Standing Committee. The Committee had asked for suggestions from the stake holders by tomorrow 15th March which left the civil society nothing but just two days to think and act.
The Enemy Property Bill is aimed at depriving thousands of genuine Indian Muslims of the properties they are legally entitled to inherit from their close relatives who migrated to Pakistan after Independence. As Raja of Mahmoodabad last year won his decades-long case on such properties declared enemy property under the Enemy Property Act, 1968, the central government is believed to have made up mind to block that court remedy on other claimants of such enemy properties. And so they are bringing this Enemy Property (Amendment & Validation) Bill.