Farmers unmoved; SKM, KMM decide to go ahead with mahapanchayat call until notification is withdrawn
Jagmohan Singh Patiala, general secretary of BKU-Dakaunda, added that if the notification is formally cancelled by then, the event will turn into a “victory rally”; otherwise, farmers will call for a march to Chandigarh.
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"Ardass" being performed during the "Pakka Dharna " against Land Pooling policy outside the GLADA office in Ludhiana on Friday. (Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh)The Punjab government’s decision to withdraw its controversial land pooling policy has failed to pacify protesting farmers, who have vowed to continue their agitation and proceed with planned mass gatherings.
A permanent dharna outside the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) office—ongoing since July 20 under the banner of the Zameen Bachao Sangharsh Committee—remained in place on Tuesday, even after the Principal Secretary of Housing and Urban Development formally announced the withdrawal of the policy.
In an emergency meeting on Tuesday, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) resolved to go ahead with its mahapanchayat at Samrala on August 24.
When the land pooling policy was framed, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced it and his cabinet also publicised it. Now they have issued a four-line letter signed by the Principal Secretary.
“We demand that the government should clarify its position on the June 4 policy. This is because the June 4 policy was legally completely different from and presented as a new policy compared to the earlier May 14 policy. The statement issued by the Principal Secretary mentions withdrawal of only the May 14 policy and amendments made to it, with no mention of withdrawing the June 4 policy. Due to this ambiguity in the government’s statement, the SKM has given time to the government till August 20, saying they will wait for its reply before finalising the next course of action. The government’s reply will decide the direction of the Samrala rally on August 24,” said Balbir Singh Rajewal, SKM’s National Coordination Committee member.
Jagmohan Singh Patiala, general secretary of BKU-Dakaunda, added that if the notification is formally cancelled by then, the event will turn into a “victory rally”; otherwise, farmers will call for a march to Chandigarh.
“AAP leaders shouldn’t be under the illusion that by withdrawing the policy, everything will return to normal. We know they never wanted to withdraw it but were forced to do it under pressure,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) confirmed that their mahapanchayat, scheduled for August 20, will also proceed as planned as they too await the cancellation of the policy notification.
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