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Thenewsdose.com

Mohali,July 21,UPDATED:7.45PM

Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over its contentious land pooling policy, describing it as a “loot of farmers’ land” and an assault on Punjab’s agrarian identity.

Addressing a ‘Saadi Zameen, Saadi Ma’ dharna outside the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) office in Mohali, Bajwa accused the government of attempting to forcibly acquire 65,000 acres of farmland across Punjab, including around 6,000 acres in Mohali alone. He pointed out that despite months of campaigning, the government had received consent for only 35 acres in Mohali so far — a reflection, he said, of the policy’s widespread unacceptability among farmers.

Bajwa was accompanied at the protest by several senior Congress leaders including former Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Vijay Sharma Tinku, and others. The protest rally drew participation from farmers, youth groups, and party workers.

‘Decisions about Punjab being made by outsiders’

In a scathing personal attack, Bajwa raised concerns about the lack of local representation in key decision-making processes. “A four-member committee of non-Punjabis, and a Chief Secretary who is also a non-Punjabi, will decide the fate of Punjab’s farmers,” he said. “Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has conveniently distanced himself from the process and won’t sign any related document. Even in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal has avoided signing government files for the past 10 years — and look where his officers are now, behind bars.”

The Congress leader also questioned the credibility of GMADA, citing the Ecocity-2 Extension Scheme, where land was acquired in 2013 but farmers are still waiting for their plots. “If GMADA couldn’t deliver in over a decade, how will it fulfill new promises now?” he asked.

Notification stalls land transactions, triggers unrest

Adding to the criticism, Balbir Singh Sidhu alleged that the government’s notification under the land pooling policy has effectively frozen all sale and purchase of the 65,000 acres under question — causing immense hardship to farmers, unemployed youth, and state employees. “The AAP government has attacked every section of society — jawaan, kisan, naujawan, mulazim,” Sidhu said.

He further mocked the party’s ‘aam aadmi’ image, alleging that ₹10 lakh worth of luxury crockery was recently delivered for Arvind Kejriwal at Panchayat Bhawan. “And yet, they call themselves the common man’s party,” he remarked.

Congress to scale up protests

Bajwa announced that the Congress will intensify its agitation in the days ahead with statewide protests demanding a complete rollback of the land pooling policy. He reiterated that the party stands firmly with the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and other farmer groups opposing the scheme and will fully support the tractor rally on July 30.

The AAP government has recently revised its compensation model under the policy — offering ₹50,000 per acre annually until development begins, and ₹1 lakh per acre thereafter — but the opposition continues to allege that the scheme remains fundamentally flawed and anti-farmer.