Punjab's land pooling scheme 'big loot', says BJP; Chugh, Jakhar apprise Guv

Chandigarh, July 4 (IANS) BJP national General Secretary Tarun Chugh, along with Punjab BJP President Sunil Jakhar, met Governor Gulab Chand Kataria here on Friday and apprised him about the land pooling policy of the AAP-led Bhagwant Mann government.

Jakhar told the media after meeting the Governor that the government has not even framed any rules or regulations under the Land Pooling Policy of 2025.

“This raises grave concerns about how far this loot could go in its next phase.” He said the BJP would take this unconstitutional loot to the courts as well.

Jakhar pointed out that while the land under notification is still officially recorded in farmers’ names, in reality, the farmers cannot sell it, nor can they mortgage it for loans in times of need.

Chugh said Kejriwal has hijacked Punjab’s democratically elected government and is using the Mann administration “as a puppet to benefit land mafias and close aides”.

He said the land pooling Bill is not only unconstitutional but also completely lacks any transparent roadmap, clearly pointing to a pre-planned design to benefit land mafias and Kejriwal’s “close coterie at the cost of farmers”.

“This is tyranny. The BJP will fight this battle legally, politically and on ground. We will challenge this Bill in court and take our fight to every village of Punjab. If protests fail, we are ready to go on fast unto death. But we will not allow even an inch of land to be taken from Punjab’s farmers,” Chugh and Jakhar said.

They slammed the AAP government’s false promise of 400 years of planning, saying: “They couldn’t manage Punjab for four years and now they speak of 400. Their misgovernance has pushed Punjab to the bottom of financial rankings and now they want to hand over land to mafias. This is arrogance and betrayal.”

Chugh exposed the tacit support of the Congress, saying their silence on this issue proves their secret alliance with AAP. He thanked the Governor for assuring that no undemocratic or unjust step will be allowed in Punjab and warned AAP that its countdown in Punjab has begun.

--IANS

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