Punjab: Shock to AAP, all opposition parties support SKM
Punjab: In a major political challenge for Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), all opposition parties in the state have extended their support to the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM)-led protest against the land pooling policy. After a gap of five years, the BJP and the SKM have decided to bury their differences that emerged after the enactment of the three farm laws in 2020, which led to a year-long farmers’ struggle. Now, the BJP will be a part of this SKM-led protest, which will begin on July 30 with a tractor rally in all villages across the state, where about 65,500 acres of land is to be acquired collectively under “voluntary” land pooling. BJP leaders Subhash Sharma and Kewal Singh Dhillon promised their party’s full support to the SKM. They also assured to seek time from ministers of their party-led central government and act as a bridge between the country’s ruling party and SKM leaders. He said his party was the first to oppose the land pooling policy as it believed it would ruin the state’s ecology and agrarian economy. The decision to support the SKM was taken at an all-party meeting convened by the Kisan Sangharsh Manch today. Representatives of 10 political parties, barring the Aam Aadmi Party, once the closest political ally of the farmers’ groups, attended the meeting.
Rising above political ideology, representatives of these parties said they oppose the land pooling policy as it will evict farmers from their fertile lands. The gist of what leaders of all parties said at the meeting was, “Tons of people from outside have come to Punjab and are making wrong policies. They only want to monetise the land while there is no demand for urbanisation. If there is a change of power in the state in 2027, where will the farmers go to get the promised residential and commercial sites as their lands are being taken right now? Our lands will become barren but the government, which supports real estate companies, is unconcerned.” All parties shared dates of protests and expressed apprehension that the lands being acquired could be mortgaged to some international funding agency to raise funds. The chairs kept for the AAP representatives remained vacant during the three-and-a-half hour meeting. After the meeting, SKM and all opposition parties clearly demanded that the notification related to land pooling policy be withdrawn; agriculture and allied activities be excluded from the free trade agreement; all water agreements against the interests of the state be suspended by passing a resolution in the Punjab Assembly, and the implementation of the agriculture policy. The meeting was chaired by a presidium of farmer leaders – Balbir Singh Rajewal, Buta Singh Burjgill, Raminder Singh Patiala, Harinder Singh Lakhowal and Dr. Darshan Pal, among others.
Leaders from BJP, Shiromani Akali Dal, five-member committee of rebel Akalis, BSP, CPI, CPM, CPI(ML), CPI(ML) and RMPI were present in the meeting. For about two hours after the meeting began, Congress representatives did not join the meeting and were marked absent, until former agriculture ministers Randeep Singh Nabha and Happy Khera joined the meeting. Both leaders said that the Congress has already started protests against land pooling, but it will continue its protests in the coming days and will also support the SKM. SAD core committee member Sukhdeep Singh Sukhkar also opposed the policy and said his party has fought for Punjab’s rights over river water, the capital and Punjabi-speaking areas and assured support to the SKM. Rebel Akali Dal leaders Iqbal Singh Jhunda and Gurpartap Singh Wadala said there is no demand for land pooling for urbanisation and the scheme is a way to usurp farmers’ rights over their land and livelihood. Both Jhunda and Sukhkar expressed concern that dairy farming is no longer profitable, especially when the current government is continuously marginalising the cooperative sector. They also expressed concern over the flood of adulterated milk and milk products in the market. All the leaders agreed with SKM that groundwater is depleting rapidly and steps need to be taken to save Punjab from desertification.
