Cabinet approves restoration of land to RSS-linked units

Vajpayee-led NDA govt had until 2004 made 22 allotments to RSS-affiliated outfits

Over 20 socio-economic organisations, most of them learnt to be affiliated to RSS, are expected to get back their land taken away by erstwhile UPA government with the Union Cabinet recently approving a proposal in this regard.

The proposal of the Urban Development Ministry, cleared by the Cabinet, pertained to restoring land mostly to RSS- affiliated outfits, which based on the recommendations of a two-member committee set up by Modi government to review their cancellations.

The UPA government in 2004 had cancelled the previous NDA government's allotment on the recommendations of a one-member inquiry committee.

"The previous (UPA) government had shown discrimination as it cancelled some allotments while approving others which were favourable to them. The aggrieved parties had made a representation to the Urban Development Ministry which had formed a committee of two members to review the cancellation.

"The Cabinet has approved the committee's suggestion that except few, all the allotments were in order," highly placed sources said.

With the approval of Cabinet, the Urban Development Ministry is expected to present the panel report in the Delhi High Court, where a case is pending on the issue and would seek revocation of cancellations.

Last year, the panel set up to review the UPA government's move to cancel 29 allotments of land had recommended restoring the land to nearly two dozen of them.

The Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government had between 1998-99 and 2004 made 32 allotments to socio-cultural and religious organisations, 22 of them to RSS-affiliated or backed outfits.

However, the UPA government in 2004 cancelled 29 allotments on the grounds that norms were violated in these allotments.