Punjab parties unite against land pooling scheme, demand FTA exclusion
During the meeting held on Friday, leaders from across the political spectrum sought to strengthen the cooperative sector, annul all existing water accords and review Sections 78, 79, and 80 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act. A consensus was reached to urge the Punjab assembly to pass a resolution and sent to the Centre, advocating for parliamentary amendments to these sections.
The SKM had convened the all-party meeting, challenging political factions to clarify their positions on contentious issues facing Punjab.
Representatives from Congress, BJP, Shiromani Akali Dal, BSP, SAD (five-member recruitment committee), CPI, CPI (M), CPI(ML) Liberation, CPI(ML) New Democracy, and RMPI participated, with only AAP absent.
The land pooling scheme has faced widespread condemnation. In a voice vote, party leaders slammed the state govt, labelling the scheme a "ploy to seize fertile lands from farmers and hand them over to corporates".
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They vowed to resist its implementation, citing over 90% opposition from landowning farmers. Some parties even implicated AAP's "Delhi-based top leadership," alleging collusion with corporations targeting valuable land.
Beyond land pooling, political leaders supported the SKM's agenda to annul water-sharing agreements, urging the state govt to pass a resolution to the Centre. They also backed the SKM's demand to scrap the Dam Safety Act in its current form, arguing it undermines the federal structure by transferring state rights over dams to the Centre.
Unanimous support was also voiced for bolstering the cooperative movement to combat the sale of spurious seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, and insecticides.
SKM leaders Balbir Singh Rajewal, Harinder Singh Lakhowal, Darshanpal, Buta Singh Burjgill, and Raminder Patiala presided over the proceedings. Prominent attendees included Avtar Singh Karimpuri (BSP), Randeep Singh Nabha (Congress), Kewal Singh Dhillon (former MLA), Subash Sharma (BJP), Sukhdeep Singh and Dinesh Kumar (SAD), Iqbal Singh Jhunda and Gurpartap Singh Wadala (SAD five-member committee), Sukhwinder Sekhon (CPI(M)), Bant Singh Brar (CPI), Sukhdarshan Natt and Gurmeet Singh Bakhtupura (CPI(ML) Liberation), Darshan Singh Khatkar (CPI(ML) New Democracy), and Pargat Singh Jamrai (RMPI), all presenting their party's views.
SKM leaders later clarified their objective is to understand political parties' stances. The SKM stated it would continue to champion these issues, with parties expected to offer external support.
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