Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal has strongly opposed the Punjab government’s plan to develop urban estates on over 24,000 acres of land across more than 30 villages near Ludhiana. He warned that if the government doesn’t withdraw the project, his party will launch a state-wide protest.
Badal alleged that the land is being taken from farmers “forcibly” under the new land pooling policy, which was launched on May 22 by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema. He led a major protest outside the office of the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA), demanding an immediate rollback of the plan.
In response, Punjab’s Rural Development Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond dismissed the allegations, saying Badal was “misleading the public” and that landowners would not be forced. “This policy will benefit farmers by giving them four times the value of their land,” he said, adding that land would only be taken with the owner’s consent and would be used to create modern infrastructure.
Badal, a former Deputy Chief Minister, also demanded that land in Punjab should not be sold to people from other states. He said that just like people from Punjab can’t buy land in Himachal Pradesh, outsiders shouldn’t be allowed to buy land in Punjab. He promised to implement this rule if SAD comes to power in the 2027 Assembly elections.
He further claimed that most government jobs under the AAP government were being given to people from other states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan. Badal said his party would reserve government jobs for Punjabis only if elected.
He also criticised Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of “looting Punjab” and overshadowing Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann. “Kejriwal’s name is bigger on project plaques than the actual Chief Minister’s,” he said.
The Punjab government insists that the land pooling policy is a step toward development and will financially benefit farmers, not harm them.
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