BJP to launch village-to-village protest against Punjab's land pooling scheme from Aug 17

Chandigarh, Aug 6 (IANS) Sharpening its ongoing battle against the anti-farmer land pooling scheme of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, the BJP on Wednesday announced a state-wide “Save Land, Save Farmers” procession from August 17 to September 5.

It will be led by the party’s state working President Ashwani Sharma.

An announcement in this regard was made by party’s state Vice-President Kewal Singh Dhillon. He said during the yatra the BJP would go village-to-village, creating awareness among farmers against the scheme and mobilise them.

Party activists will meet farmers, who are struggling against the scheme. The procession will kick off on August 17 from Patiala, and pass through villages in Malwa, Majha, and Doaba regions and culminating in Pathankot on September 5.

BJP leaders condemned the Bhagwant Mann government, saying it has launched an assault on the land of farmers.

“Through the land pooling scheme, the government seeks to hand over farmers' land to land mafias through backdoor means, which is completely unacceptable,” said the BJP.

“The BJP stands like a rock with the farmers. Until the AAP government withdraws the land pooling policy, the BJP will continue to fight at all levels in solidarity with the farmers,” it added.

Party’s national General Secretary Tarun Chugh on Tuesday demanded the immediate scrapping of the land pooling scheme.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is committed to protecting farmers, adding a “state-sponsored conspiracy to loot farmers’ land in the name of development to help realtors” would never be accepted.

Chugh said, “This is not a policy, it’s a betrayal. Farmers know exactly what this scheme is -- an official tool to snatch their ancestral lands. Let the Mann government hear this loud and clear: we will not let them grab even an inch of Punjab’s farmland.”

He accused the Mann government of acting like middlemen for real estate mafias, betraying the very farmers who voted for change but were delivered betrayal.

However, state Finance Minister Harpal Cheema has clarified that the land pooling scheme is farmer-friendly and based on mutual consent.

“Not a single inch of land will be forcibly taken from any farmer. Whether to give land or not is entirely up to the farmers' will,” minister Cheema told the media here.

--IANS

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