Sukhbir Badal Announces Mass Agitation Against Revised Land Pooling Policy
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday vowed to launch a mass agitation against the Punjab government's revised land pooling policy, which he termed an attempt to grab farmers' land. Addressing a gathering in Jalalabad, Badal alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government was planning a fresh land grab through the revised policy. He claimed that farmers were being offered only an additional 10 yards of developed land compared with the earlier policy, which he described as grossly inadequate.
Election-Era Allegations Against Kejriwal Government
Badal, while canvassing for the Jalalabad municipal council elections scheduled for July 5, accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of being under immense pressure to reward political funders as elections approach. He addressed five public gatherings covering all 17 wards of the municipal council area. The SAD chief asserted that the revised policy was designed to benefit the AAP's financiers at the expense of Punjab's farmers.
BJP Terms Policy Anti-Farmer, Alleges Conspiracy
Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon also strongly opposed the revised land pooling policy, calling it anti-farmer. Dhillon alleged that the AAP government was being run through remote control from Delhi and that its objective was to grab farmers' land rather than develop Punjab. He questioned whether commercial or residential plots could ever sustain a household, stating, 'These plots cannot provide sustenance to farmers' families.'
Farmers' Opposition and Alleged Conspiracy
Dhillon reminded that when the government introduced the policy last year, Punjab's farmers had strongly opposed it. He described the policy as a well-planned conspiracy by Arvind Kejriwal and his party to exploit Punjab, uproot farmers, and seize control of their land. The BJP leader reiterated that the policy was not for development but for land grabbing.
