BKU's Ugrahan faction to boycott all-party meeting on land pooling policy
The policy, approved by the Punjab cabinet on June 2, aims to facilitate urban development by allowing landowners to voluntarily contribute their land to government or private development projects. In exchange, landowners are promised developed residential and commercial plots, with the possibility of participating in group housing projects.
BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan said the decision to stay away from the meeting aligns with the principles of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), under which the 'Delhi Chalo' farmers' agitation was conducted. 'Our struggle was based on SKM's core policy of not engaging with political parties or allowing their leaders on our stage. That independence gave our movement strength and credibility,' Ugrahan said.
He accused political parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of being complicit in policies that aim to seize farmers' land under the guise of development. 'All these parties are in agreement when it comes to handing over farmers' land to corporate houses,' he alleged.
Referring to past incidents of police action during land acquisition drives in Dhaula, Chhanna and Sanghera (under the Congress government), and in Gobindpura, Mansa (under the Akali-BJP regime), BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) said these events reveal a consistent anti-farmer stance across political lines.
The union called on farmers to uphold the SKM's independent policy and resist what it described as political interference in their struggle. 'If these parties genuinely care about farmers, they should oppose the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government's anti-farmer land pooling policy from their own platforms, not by infiltrating farmer-led movements,' the union stated.
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