Two contentious issues dominated Wednesday's cabinet meeting: corruption charges around Commonwealth Games and the Enemy Property Bill.

The Enemy Property Act has turned two senior cabinet ministers into adversaries as Salman Khurshid, minister for corporate affairs and minority issues, directly targeted home minister P Chidambaram during the meeting.

Khurshid was under the impression that in previous meetings it was decided that before the legislation's passage in the next session of parliament, an ordinance would be issued but no such ordinance has been issued.

After the India-Pakistan war in 1965, the government issued the Enemy Property (Custody and Registration) Order, 1965. Under this act all immovable properties in India belonging to or held by or managed on behalf of Pakistan nationals, stood vested in the custodian of enemy property. This is how the entire property (totalling several hundreds of acres) in Lucknow belonging to the Raja of Mahmoodabad got vested with the custodian.

Khurshid, who is openly supporting the cause of the heir of the Raja of Mahmoodabad, was so livid that he kept arguing against Chidambaram even after the matter ended.