WILL NOT LET AN INCH OF FARMERS’ LAND TO BE GRABBED: WARRING . THE AAP GOVT IS TRYING TO BEFOOL THE PEOPLE OF PUNJAB BY SAYING THAT THE SCHEME IS VOLUNTARY, WHEN IN FACT THEY ARE GOING TO FORCIBLY ACQUIRE THE LANDS OF OUR FARMERS: LOP PARTAP SINGH BAJWA, BALBIR SINGH SIDHU SLAMS BHAGWANT MANN'S LAND GRABBING SCHEME, VOWS TO PROTECT FARMERS AT ALL COSTS
Face2News/Mohali
Continuing with its strong opposition to the government's policy of “land pooling”, the Congress staged a massive protest in front of the Greater Mohali Development Area (GMADA) office on Monday.
Led by the PCC president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and former Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu thousands of party workers, joined by senior leaders, gathered outside the office raising slogans against the land pooling policy and seeking its immediate withdrawal.
Addressing the protestors, Warring said, it was a subtle ploy of the Aam Aadmi Party government to loot and rob the farmers of their precious land. “This is not land pooling, but land looting policy”, he remarked, while asking who will hand over one acre of precious land for a thousand yards in return?
The PCC president told the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann that he should have learnt from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s experience, who eventually had to surrender and withdraw the three farm laws under pressure from the farmers. “You should know, when it comes to his land, a farmer can do anything to protect it”, he cautioned the government, while expressing solidarity and support of the Congress party with the farmers in their fight against the policy.
The PCC president told the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann that he should have learnt from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s experience, who eventually had to surrender and withdraw the three farm laws under pressure from the farmers. “You should know, when it comes to his land, a farmer can do anything to protect it”, he cautioned the government, while expressing solidarity and support of the Congress party with the farmers in their fight against the policy.
Addressing the protest LOP Partap Singh Bajwa said, "This Bhagwant Mann Government is trying to fool the people saying that this land pooling policy is voluntary, when infact they have specially added a clause 'LAAR' through which the government can forcibly acquire the land. He further strongly defended his party’s opposition to the land pooling policy, reiterating that it was only a “land looting” scheme conceived by the AAP leaders. “What purpose does it serve?” he asked, while pointing out there is no demand from anywhere.
The party also submitted a memorandum, addressed to the Chief Minister, to the GMADA administrator seeking immediate reversal of the policy. It said that the policy will be environmentally and economically devastating and disastrous for Punjab.
Addressing the public, Former Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said, "No matter what, we won't let the government forcibly acquire the lands of our farmers under this land grabbing scheme. We are ready to shed our blood to stop this injustice. Bhagwant Mann says that this scheme is voluntary, which is a white lie. The government has put our farmers in such a situation that now they can neither sell their land nor get a loan on it. The Chief Minister is playing into the hands of Delhi and has surrendered all his powers to his Delhi bosses, which is shameful. He has betrayed our farmers just to save his chair.
Our farmers got the maximum benefit when our former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh brought the Land Acquisition Act, as the Act mandated that farmers receive the highest possible compensation for their acquired land."
Replying to a question on Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar suggesting Akali-BJP alliance, the PCC president said that they (the Akalis and the BJP) were always together and had a subtle understanding.
He observed that the two parties must have realised that the ground beneath their feet has already slipped away and they cannot fight on their own. He said, even if they come together they won’t make much difference as both the parties have lost the ground in Punjab. “Zero plus zero will always add up to zero”, he remarked.
Among those present included AICC Secretary Ravinder Dalwi, Leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Partap Singh Bajwa, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Capt Sandeep Sandhu, Gurkirat Kotli, Kaka Randeep Nabha, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Jasbir Dimpa, Harminder Gill, Kuljeet Nagra, Navtej Cheema, Kuldeep Vaid
Gagandeep Singh Bobby, Gurshran Kaur Randhawa, Mohit Mohindra, Mohali Mayor Amarjit Singh Jeeti and others.