Clare County Council has been accused of "institutional racism" because of its proposal to impose a ban on outsiders building houses in certain parts of the county.
Former Clare Labour TD Dr Moosajee Bhamjee said the council was putting in place an "apartheid system" in the county's planning process.
Dr Bhamjee was responding to the council's proposed policy of "generally not permitting" non-indigenous persons to build homes in certain areas. His comments come as the council puts on public display the revised draft development plan today for one month, to allow the public make submissions.
Responding to the proposed ruling, Dr Bhamjee said that if the policy was in place when he first moved to Clare, he could not build a house in the rural area in which he lives today.
Dr Bhamjee, who made history in 1992 when he became the first South African-born Indian to be elected to Dail Eireann, said that the proposal was similar to a policy that was in place when he lived in South Africa, which banned Indians from buying property in certain areas.
He said: "I've had the experience of people telling me where I could and could not live and I do not want that to happen to people wishing to live in Clare in the future."