The Congress on Sunday told its workers to prepare for statewide protests outside offices of deputy commissioners from next month as party leaders alleged that the AAP government’s land pooling policy was a threat to farmers’ existence with no rehabilitation programme in place.Demanding the rollback of the initiative, the party said it would worsen Punjab’s debt crisis as the cash-strapped government wanted to raise loans by mortaging the land to be acquired under it.They also equated the initiative with the three controversial Central farm laws that were withdrawan following a year-long protest by farmers at Delhi borders in 2020-21.The accusations came as the Congress is looking to intensify its protest against the policy.Soon after its launch in May this year, the policy has faced political backlash. Farmer outfits too have decided to launch a statewide stir against it from July 30 after Opposition parties extended support to them.The cash-strapped government so far maintained that the initiative would spur urban development, with farmers and landowners getting plots of higher value than the cost of actual land contributed by them.Under it, the government has planned to acquire over 65,000 acres. The policy envisaged “complete voluntary participation” by landowners.However, the Opposition have accused the government of colluding with developers. They alleged that it would result in large-scale corruption, with ruling AAP leaders making money out of the acquisition process.Commenting on the policy, former Punjab CM Charanjit Channi said the plan to acquire over 60,000 acres under the land pooling policy would threaten the very existence of not only farmers, but also farm labourers, traders and those involved in allied occupations.Questioning the rationale behind acquiring large chunks of land in the absence of any demand survey, Channi said this would disturb the agricultural economy of the state as the government so far had not announced any rehabilitation programme for farmers.He said past experiences showed that without any rehabilitation programme in place, farmers end up spending the entire compensation amount, turning them into paupers from landlords.Channi stressed the need for a proper rehabilitation programme to ensure a smooth shift to other occupations.“Farmers are opposing the policy not only for the sake of opposition. They fear it would snatch away their livelihood. The government wants to push the state into further financial crisis by mortgaging the land to raise loans,” he alleged, equating the initiative with the now-withdrawn three controversial Central farm laws.Will destroy Punjab’s economy, says WarringMeanwhile, asking party workers to prepare to gherao offices of deputy commissioners, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said the scheme would rob farmers of their land and destroy the state’s agricultural economy.Warring said under the Land Acquisition Act passed by the Congress-led UPA government in 2013, a provision was made to pay farmers three times the market price for his land. “The AAP government is taking away the land without any compensation, which was unprecedented and unheard of,” he alleged.
Cong to gherao DC offices from next month, says no rehabilitation deal offered to farmers
