Ludhiana- The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) strongly countered the BJP leaders' statements criticizing the land pooling policy introduced by the AAP government for developing urban estates in Ludhiana. The AAP accused Punjab BJP leaders of being complicit with the land mafia.
Addressing a press conference in Ludhiana alongside AAP Punjab General Secretary Harchand Singh Barsat and party spokesperson Neel Garg, AAP Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sondh said that BJP leaders have lost all moral authority to speak about farmers. He said, "They should feel ashamed before mentioning farmers. Modi government’s black farm laws killed 750 farmers in Punjab and other states, yet the Prime Minister did not utter a single word of sympathy for those who lost their lives. How can BJP leaders even dare to speak about farmers?"
Sondh criticized the BJP government at the center, stating, "The Modi government has been relentlessly selling the nation's public assets and handing them over to a few favoured corporate friends. Public properties such as railways, LIC, ports, and airports have been handed over to industrialists close to the government. Meanwhile, the AAP government in Punjab is working for the common people and the underprivileged. We provide free electricity, free education, and free medical facilities to the people. Not a single policy of our government has caused trouble to farmers or the public."
Sondh further accused BJP and Akali leaders of running widespread land mafia operations in Punjab. "During their tenure and beyond, these leaders collaborated with land mafias, developed thousands of illegal colonies, and filled their own pockets. As a result, people’s money got stuck, and they faced significant hardships, including a lack of basic amenities such as electricity, water, roads, and sewerage, " he said.
He said that the AAP government's land pooling scheme poses no harm to farmers. "The only ones troubled by this policy are BJP and Akali leaders because it will end the reign of land mafias in Ludhiana, depriving these leaders of their private financial benefits. Their opposition is not for farmers but for protecting the land mafia, " Sondh remarked.
Minister Sondh clarified that the land pooling policy is entirely transparent and farmer-friendly. "Not an inch of land will be taken without the farmer's consent. If a farmer does not wish to give their land, they can continue farming as before. However, if they choose to participate, the government will provide them with 1, 000 square yards of residential plots and 200 square yards of commercial plots per acre of land, fully developed with facilities like electricity, water, roads, sewerage, playgrounds, parks, and streetlights, " he explained.
Farmers also have the option to take two residential plots of 500 square yards each. Sondh assured, "No one will be forced. It is entirely the farmer's decision to participate or not. Moreover, farmers will receive a Letter of Intent (LOI) within one month of giving their land, enabling them to construct, rent out, or sell as per their convenience. This is a truly farmer-friendly scheme."
Sondh accused opposition leaders of spreading misinformation to mislead farmers and defame the AAP. He concluded, "The opposition is making false allegations solely to mislead the public and malign AAP’s reputation. The Mann government will continue to stand firmly with the truth and work for the betterment of Punjab’s farmers and citizens."