Farmers united against land pooling policy, to move SC: Pargat Singh

Farmers from six affected villages in Jalandhar—Kukkad Pind, Kot Kalan, Nangal Karar Khan, Kot Khurd, Sofi Pind, and Bulla Rai—participated in the protest gathering, along with villagers from Kapurthala and Phagwara.

“The AAP government, under directions from Delhi, has prepared a plan to hand over 50,000 acres to corporate houses. Farmers are being kept in the dark as this policy is being implemented without consent or adequate information,” Pargat Singh said. He demanded that CM Bhagwant Mann hold an open and transparent discussion on the issue during the upcoming special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on July 10–11. Pargat Singh further said that the notification of the policy was fundamentally flawed.

“There was no environmental assessment, social impact assessment, or fair compensation mechanism. The policy lacks basic due diligence and violates the principle of consent. Once land is taken, an entire village’s social and economic fabric is destroyed,” he said.

According to Pargat Singh, the policy targets 1,000 acres in Jalandhar, with large tracts also identified in Ludhiana (23,000 acres), Mohali (3,500 acres), Pathankot (1,000 acres), Patiala (1,100 acres), Bathinda (900 acres), Sangrur (600 acres), Moga (500 acres), Nawanshahr (400 acres), Ferozepur and Barnala (300 acres each), Hoshiarpur (550 acres), Kapurthala (150 acres), Nakodar (200 acres), Gurdaspur (80 acres), Tarn Taran (97 acres), and Sultanpur Lodhi (70 acres).

He warned that the policy was not about urban development but about creating land banks for private developers.
“The AAP government is working as the B-team of the BJP. What even the BJP couldn’t do, AAP is implementing now.” Congress District President (Rural) and MLA from Shahkot, Hardev Singh Ladi Sherowalia, also strongly opposed the policy, stating, “This is not merely a policy; it is an assault on Punjab’s villages, culture, and future. Land is being snatched in the name of development. We will fight this battle unitedly – legally, socially, and politically.”

Even AAP’s own leaders have dissented. Rajat Bhanot, Sarpanch of Bulla Rai village in Phagwara tehsil, opposed the land pooling scheme. “For farmers, land is not just property—it is like a mother. You cannot dispossess us of it without destroying our livelihoods, traditions, and environment.”

Sukhbir Singh, Cantt Constituency Head of the Kisan Union, who moderated the meeting, emphasized that the struggle would continue until the government revokes the policy. “No force can take away the land of Jalandhar. We are ready to fight this on every front.”

Local leaders, including sarpanch Jagraj Singh (Kukkad Pind), Balkar Singh Manga (Kot Khurd), Avtar Singh Bittu (Kot Kala), Randhir Singh (Sofi Pind), and Sukhbir Singh (Salarpur) expressed solidarity and pledged to mobilise their communities. Pargat Singh called on villagers to convene gram sabhas and pass resolutions opposing the policy. “Under the law, 70% consent is needed for pooling, but only 20% signatures are needed to oppose it. Use your legal rights and resist,” he said.