In an effort to garner support for the pending legislation, government on Friday reached out to the main Opposition BJP. Home minister P. Chidambaram met BJP Parliamentary Party leader L.K. Advani on friday to discuss contentious issues, including Enemy Property Bill and the Nuclear Liability Bill in the current session of Parliament. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mr Arun Jaitley, was also present during the meeting. Later, Mr Advani had a telephonic conversation with
Leader of the Lok Sabha and Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee about these issues.
Sources disclosed government wants to make some changes in the ordinance on enemy property, which is to be moved in Lok Sabha as Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2010.
However, sources said, the BJP conveyed that it wants the ordinance to be made into a Bill without any changes. The party is of the view that changes sought by the government in the proposed Enemy Property Bill are on the lines of the “Shah Bano case”.
Sources said suggestions for change made by the government would benefit people like Raja of Mehmoodabad, who will get the property back, but lead to poor compensation and eviction of several people living in these properties.
The issue of MPs salary hike was also discussed. BJP conveyed to the government that it would support the move provided the UPA regime also announce some mechanism like formation of a “quasi-judicial body” on the lines of the pay commission to deal with increase in salary of MPs from time to time.