Punjab Govt's land pooling policy: BJP plans statewide yatra ; SAD calls emergency meet

The Opposition on Wednesday stepped up the heat on ruling AAP over the land pooling policy, with the BJP deciding to undertake a statewide yatra from August 17 and the SAD calling an emergency meeting of its core committee tomorrow over the issue.

The Congress too equated the initiative with the now-withdrawn three controversial central farm laws, against which farmer outfits had converged on Delhi borders for a year-long stir in 2020-21. The Congress had launched its statwide stir against the initiative last month.

This has come as the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday put the policy on hold for a day while questioning the state government on the provision for the rehabilitation of landless labourers and others dependent on land for their sustenance.

Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar said his party’s “Save Land, Save Farmers Yatra” would be held from August 17 to September 5. He said it would be led by state BJP’s working president Ashwani Sharma and pass through villages across the state.

The yatra will kick off from Patiala and culminating in Pathankot on September 5.

Meanwhile, SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema in a social media post said his party president Sukhbir Badal had called an emergency joint meeting of its core committee and working committee in Chandigarh tomorrow to prepare strategy over the issue.

Senior Congress leader and Jalandhar Cantonment MLA Pargat Singh alleged that the policy was launched to benefit big corporates, similar to what the BJP-led Centre had done with the its controversial farm laws that were withdrawn following a prolonged stir by farmers.

“As the farm laws were withdrawn by PM Narendra Modi after protests by farmers, the land pooling policy will meet the same fate,” he said addressing a press conference at Punjab Congress Bhaven in Chandigarh.

He also alleged that the police were “forcing farmers to part with their land”.

Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa too said the policy’s purpose was to “circumvent social and environmental impact assessments, enabling the government to seize farmers’ land and threaten the very foundation of the agrarian economy”.

Will defend policy in HC: AAP

Meanwhile, AAP spokesperson Neel Garg, while reacting to the court order, said the government had no intention of making any changes in the “historic policy” and it would present its case before the court with full preparation.

He said the landowners had been given complete freedom as the participation in it is voluntary. “There will be no coercive action,” he said.

Garg also accused the Opposition parties of shedding “crocodile tears” over the issue. “These are the same parties in whose rule the land mafia had looted both farmers and common buyers with both hands,” he added.