At Mahapanchayat, Punjab farmers seek withdrawal of land pooling policy through Vidhan Sabha

Seeking withdrawal of the land pooling policy in the Vidhan Sabha, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) organised a massive Kisan Mahapanchayat at Kukkad village near Jalandhar Cantonment this afternoon. The venue of the event was the centre of a 1,000-acre chunk of land which was being acquired under the policy for developing Urban Estate, Phase-3, in Jalandhar.

Despite a heavy rainfall this morning, farmers continued to gather near the grain market of the village for demonstration. The event took off about two hours late but got a massive response with Bharatiya Kisan Union-Doaba president Manjit S Rai, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee leader Sarwan S Pandher, activists Lakha Sidana and Amitoj Mann taking the lead.

Slamming the AAP government, the farmer leaders said while the policy had been withdrawn via a notification, it should also be cancelled through the Vidhan Sabha. The mahapanchayat unanimously passed some resolutions which included that no farmer should sell their agricultural land at any price. They demanded the government should immediately provide fair compensation of Rs 70,000 per acre to farmers affected by floods, Rs 7,000 to affected labourers, and adequate compensation for damage to houses, livestock, and property. Lakha Sidana termed the floods man-made instead of any natural calamity as the floods could be managed but the government had no plans.