Youth outnumber elderly in protest against land pooling policy

Rambling sounds of tractors and other vehicles heading simultaneously on highways and link roads of the region seemed to have sent a clear message from the protesters that farmers had interpreted the state government’s land pooling policy as a threat to their survival, livelihood and identity as ‘feeders’ of the nation.

Echoes of slogans by activists of various constituents of Samyukt Kisan Morcha reflected their unity for the common cause—of preventing fertile land from being transformed into barren ur

ban settlements.

The region falling under Ludhiana district emerged as the epicentre of the tractor march with at least 25,000 out of the total 65,000 acres of land proposed to be acquired falling in the segment.

Youths outnumbered elderly protestors, parading their modern tractors with shining surfaces, exhibiting the enthusiasm to air anguish against the Aam Aadmi Party government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Harnek Singh Gujjarwal, convener of an event held at Jodhan, asserted that an unprecedented number of youths from agrarian families accompanied by their associates engaged in allied professions had joined the tractor march that started from Jodhan grain market on Wednesday.

“Though the youth have been supporting all fights of farmers against the Union and state governments, this time they (youth) seemed to have conceived the government’s action as an effort to remove the ground from beneath their feet,” said Gujjarwal.

Speakers, including office-bearers of various units of Kisan Unions associated with Samyukt Kisan Morcha, regretted that the Aam Aadmi Party led by Arvind Kejriwal and CM Bhagwant Singh Mann had disappointed all sections of society. It had only been trying to safeguard the interests of corporate sector or big landlords, they said.

“But now, people have understood the hidden agenda of the AAP government behind the latest attempt to destabilise the agrarian economy of the state by promoting developers, colonisers and industrialists and they won't allow anyone to snatch even an inch of the fertile land of Punjab,” said Joginder Singh Ugrahan, chief of BKU (Ekta Ugrahan), while addressing the concluding session of the rally.

“Almost all policies of the AAP government are either prepared to benefit the corporate sector or appease vote banks at the cost of public funds,” said All India Kisan Sabha leader Baldev Singh Latala.

The organisers said activists of almost all constituents of the SKM had participated in the tractor march today.