Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal has strongly opposed the Punjab government’s land pooling policy. On Monday, he asked village panchayats affected by this scheme to pass resolutions against it. Speaking at a protest outside the Mini Secretariat, Sukhbir said he will not let even “an inch of farmland” be taken by the government under this plan.
He claimed that the scheme was designed to give fertile agricultural land to builders who, according to him, are working closely with AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal. He also announced that the SAD will intensify its protest by holding weekly dharnas — starting from Mohali on July 28 and Bathinda on August 4.
Opposition parties and farmer unions have also criticized the scheme, saying it will harm farmers and benefit builders. The state government plans to acquire over 65,000 acres of land under this policy, including 45,000 acres in Ludhiana alone.
Sukhbir accused the government of using the outdated State Land Acquisition Act, 1995 instead of the Central Land Acquisition Act, 2013. He said the old law allows the government to pick and choose which land to acquire and sell, leading to possible corruption. He also said the move is illegal as it hasn’t been approved by the state Assembly.
Sukhbir warned that farmers will suffer the most — they won’t be able to sell their land, take loans on it, or change its use once the acquisition notice is issued.
He also spoke about the 2015 sacrilege cases, blaming AAP and Congress for politicizing the issue. He claimed the SAD government had ensured justice in some similar past cases, unlike the current and previous Congress governments, which he accused of only doing politics on the matter.
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