Centre's model tenancy law will displace lakhs of people:Deora

City Congress chief Milind Deora Friday claimed that the Union government's proposed model tenancy law will render lakhs of tenants homeless, particularly in Mumbai. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced during the Budget presentation that the draft of the model tenancy law will be finalized and circulated to the states soon.

The current tenancy laws are "archaic" as they do not address the relationship between the lessor and the lessee fairly, she said. Deora, a former Union minister, demanded that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis oppose the proposed legislation when the draft is circulated.

The draft Model Tenancy Act, 2015 seeks to scrap the State Rent Act and allows landlords to charge the rent they want, giving them "undue advantage" over the tenants, he said. "This law proposed by the finance minister is anti-people and will throw lakhs and lakhs of tenants across India, more so in Mumbai, out of their rented homes," he said.

The Mumbai Congress chief said this was the third attempt to introduce the law. The first two attempts were made by the Fadnavis government in the state after the Centre proposed it in 2015, he said. Deora also termed the Union Budget 2019-20 as "high on optics and low on substance". It did not offer anything for the healthcare sector, the youth, middle class, unemployed and farmers, he said.

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