CHANDIGARH: The political scenario in Punjab is heating up once again. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government now finds itself in hot water as farmer unions in the state gear up to take a stand against the controversial land pooling scheme. This agitation is set to reshape the political dynamics in the state.
A tractor march is scheduled for July 30, followed by a grand rally on August 24. What’s particularly intriguing this time is that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), along with the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and Left parties, is stepping in to provide tactical support for the farmers' agitation — a noteworthy turn of events since these unions have historically opposed the saffron party.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Friday held a meeting with representatives of all political parties to explain their stance on the land pooling policy, which they perceive will turn farmers from 'landlords to landless'. This meeting was attended by representatives of the Congress, BJP, Shiromani Akali Dal and communist parties among others. In similar meetings convened by the SKM during the course of the 2020-21 farmer protests at the Delhi border, leaders of the saffron party were not invited.
Senior SKM leader and President of BKU Lakhowal Harinder Singh Lakhowal told The New Indian Express that the SKM invited all political parties for the meeting including the AAP but the latter did not send a representative. The BJP was represented by Kewal Dhillon. "It was decided in the meeting that the farmers unions and all others are opposed to the land pooling scheme recently floated by the ruling AAP. Thus, on July 30, a tractor march will be held in villages where land is being acquired mainly around Ludhiana as the government wants to acquire 24,000 acres in that belt. Then, on August 24, a big rally will be held at Mullapur Dhakha near Ludhiana, where farmers from across the state will come," he said.
"When representatives of political parties came to attend our meeting, we told them categorically that we welcome their tactical support but they will not be allowed to share the stage with farmer leaders. We did not allow it even during the protest against the three now repealed farm laws on the borders of Delhi," he said. He added that the state government should call a special assembly session and cancel all the water agreements besides implementing the recently announced agriculture policy.
Senior Punjab BJP leader Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina said the state government was hell-bent on ruining Punjab’s farmers by grabbing their land to hand it over to the real estate mafia. He said the party would fight for the cause of farmers by staging protests and exploring legal options. Chinna alleged that in Amritsar district alone, more than 4400 acres of land is being grabbed by the government in the name of land pooling. "Our party is committed to fight for the cause of the farmers," he said, adding that more than 75,000 acres of land is being taken up throughout Punjab by the state government.
During the farmers' agitation against land pooling under the aegis of the Zameen Bachao Sangharsh Committee, two BJP leaders Gurdev Sharma Debi and Balkar Singh Sidhu have already addressed farmers’ gatherings around Ludhiana. Leaders of the SKM who are opposed to the BJP dismiss this as a one-off incident but leaders of the saffron party have been seen at various protests organized by farmer unions along with others.
In 2022, the AAP had stormed to power with an overwhelming majority due to the tactical support of some farmer unions, especially from the Malwa region.
Regarding the land pooling scheme, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said it is completely 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," he said.
Criticizing the Congress, BJP and Akali Dal, Cheema alleged that during the previous governments in the past decade and a half, thousands of illegal colonies were developed in Punjab, where even basic facilities like roads, electricity, water and sewerage were absent.
He alleged that in the last ten years, with the collusion of senior leaders of the Akali-BJP and Congress governments, land mafias illegally developed colonies on approximately 30,000 acres of land across various cities.
Cheema said that keeping in mind the hardships faced by the common people, the AAP government decided to acquire land itself through a land pooling policy. This will benefit both farmers and the public, he added.