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The land pooling policy, rolled out by the AAP government in May, aims to acquire over 65,000 acres of land for the development of new townships and urban clusters, particularly around key cities like Ludhiana.

Thenewsdose.com

Mohali, July 21,UPDATED:12.10
The Punjab Congress kickstarted a statewide agitation against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s controversial land pooling policy, today holding a major dharna in Mohali. The protest marks the beginning of a series of political demonstrations planned across Punjab in opposition to the policy, which critics claim threatens farmers’ rights and bypasses fair compensation norms.

This is the Congress’s second major mobilisation in recent days, following a high-profile rally in Ludhiana—one of the key urban centres where 24,000 acres of agricultural land are set to be acquired under the policy. The opposition party plans to hold similar rallies across affected regions and launch door-to-door campaigns in villages where land is targeted for acquisition.

Party leaders, including state Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, have vowed to intensify the movement, alleging that the land pooling scheme is a veiled attempt to circumvent the provisions of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act, which mandates fair compensation, rehabilitation, and resettlement for displaced landowners.

Land Grab in the Name of Development

Warring accused the AAP government of trying to acquire fertile agricultural land without paying compensation, branding the policy a “land grab.” “This is nothing but an attempt to sidestep the Land Acquisition Act enacted by the UPA government, under which the government is required to pay 1.5 times the market value of land, along with full rehabilitation and resettlement benefits,” he said.

The Congress leader further alleged that the AAP administration intends to transfer land to private developers and corporates, using the proceeds to fund populist schemes in the run-up to the 2027 Assembly polls.

 Farmers’ Bodies Join In, Stir Set to Escalate

The land pooling policy, rolled out by the AAP government in May, aims to acquire over 65,000 acres of land for the development of new townships and urban clusters, particularly around key cities like Ludhiana. While the government has pitched the initiative as a “voluntary participation scheme” offering landowners high-value plots in exchange for their land, it has met with widespread political and grassroots opposition.

Several farmer organisations have announced a parallel statewide protest against the policy, beginning July 30, after receiving support from Opposition parties including the Congress, BJP, and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). These outfits argue that the policy threatens agricultural livelihoods and has been introduced without adequate consultation with stakeholders.

AAP Defends Policy, Accuses Opposition of Fear-Mongering

In response to the protests, the ruling AAP has accused opposition parties of “spreading misinformation” and attempting to stall much-needed urban development in the state. AAP spokesperson Neel Garg said the party is directly reaching out to affected farmers and village communities to clarify the policy’s provisions.

“There is no forcible acquisition involved. The policy is about giving farmers a share in Punjab’s urban growth by offering them developed plots of higher value than their raw land. Unfortunately, vested political interests are misleading people for electoral gains,” Garg said.

Political Undercurrents and By-Poll Preparations

Mohali protest also had a political undercurrent, as the state Congress leadership used the occasion to rally support ahead of the upcoming Tarn Taran Assembly bypoll, which was necessitated by the death of AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal. Warring has convened a meeting of senior party leaders from Tarn Taran and Amritsar districts to finalise probable candidates, even as the Election Commission is yet to announce the poll schedule.

Former Punjab health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, senior Congress MPs, MLAs, and Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa to be present at the Mohali demonstration. Sidhu reiterated the party’s demand for an immediate rollback of the “anti-farmer” policy and called for wider unity among farmer unions and political parties.With tensions mounting and protests gaining momentum, the coming weeks are likely to witness an intensification of political confrontation over Punjab’s urbanisation agenda—and how it affects those who till its land.