Cong leader Bajwa says Mann govt to shift farmers' existing debt to plots allotted under land policy
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Chandigarh: Punjab leader of opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa on Wednesday said the state govt was planning to transfer a landowning farmer's existing debt onto the new plot allotted to him under its controversial land pooling policy.
Referring to statements made by Punjab minister for revenue, rehabilitation, and disaster management Hardeep Singh Mundian, Bajwa said transferring the debt onto the allotted plot was "outright unjust". "This means the plot will only be issued after existing loans on the pooled land are settled. Additionally, the interest on these debts will only exacerbate the situation," he said.
He declared that farmers would gain nothing from the policy, labelling it as a potential scam and demanding the immediate withdrawal of the notification.
Bajwa accused Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann of spreading falsehoods in media about farmers being able to secure bank loans based on a letter of intent (LOI) to be issued by the state govt if a farmer agrees to pool his land. "Let me be clear: an LOI does not confer ownership, possession, or a defined property with a revenue number.
Banks demand identifiable property with a legal title to create a mortgage. No bank will ever sanction a loan based solely on a plain LOI. The CM must stop deceiving the farmers of Punjab," Bajwa said.
Bajwa called the policy a "deliberate intention" of AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and CM Mann to alter the demographics of Punjab. "Is AAP planning to settle non-Punjabis in our state? This cannot be ignored," he added.
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