Policy U-Turn puts AAP's political skills to test ahead of '27 elections

Time of India

20 hours ago

Chandigarh: The AAP govt's move to withdraw its controversial Land Pooling Policy 2025 will be a test of the party's political dexterity ahead of the Punjab assembly elections in 2027.
While the opposition is drawing parallels between the farmers' protest against the policy the protests stage to oppose the three farm laws in 2020-2021, AAP is calling the withdrawal of the policy "pragmatic" and a "timely retreat" in response to public sentiment. This to and fro is likely to shape the political discourse around AAP ahead of the 2027 contest.
In the first example of such a narrative, finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said during a media interaction on Tuesday that there was no comparison between the three central laws and the policy, or the protests against them.
"There is no parallel," Cheema said, adding that over 700 farmers died in the 2020-21 stir and it caused the SAD to end its political alliance with BJP.
Cheema expressed confidence that the withdrawn policy won't harm AAP's electoral prospects and the party would improve on its 2022 performance in the next elections. Asked about state govt's initial claim that the policy was "farmer friendly", Cheema said the policy was introduced in the interest of farmers and other beneficiaries, but it was withdrawn based on their feedback.
He claimed that stakeholders were properly consulted throughout the process.
When asked what prompted the govt to scrap the policy, Cheema said CM Mann personally engaged with farmers. "The chief minister realised that they were not satisfied with the policy during his interactions at events," Cheema added.
He mentioned this wasn't the first land pooling policy in the state's history, pointing out that the Akalis implemented a similar policy in a staggered way, while the Congress allowed private players to acquire land.
Daljit Singh, a lawyer and member of the All India Congress Committe, said quite contrary to AAP govt's claims that it withdrew the land pooling policy to respect the farmers' opinion, the AAP leadership sensed its eroding political space. "The AAP govt was forced to reconsider its decision after the High Court order on Saturday made strong observations against the policy. It would be impossible for the ruling party to shed the tag of being anti-farmer and it will have a bearing on its performance in the next assembly elections," said Daljit Singh, who actively opposed the policy.
Amar Singh, the Congress MP from Fatehgarh Sahib, stated that the AAP govt's land pooling policy was introduced without any demand from the ground level. "It was a plan to loot landowners, and the Congress didn't allow that to happen," he said.
An AAP leader, meanwhile, confided on condition of anonymity that the land pooling policy "not only built a negative perception in the minds of landowners, but it also strengthened the opposition's charge that the party's Delhi leadership has a role in such key decisions."
He added, "For farmers, land has always been an emotive issue and somehow they perceived the land pooling policy with suspicion."
It is learnt that in the face of fierce opposition to the policy from landowners and rival parties, some AAP members internally voiced their concerns with the party, and the move could prove to be politically damaging for the party.
BOX: WASN'T THE FIRST LAND POOLING POLICY: CHEEMA
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema claimed that previous Congress and SAD-BJP govts granted "change of land use" (CLU) for more than 30,000 acres of land for residential and industrial development.
"Illegal colonies mushroomed in the state during the previous govts and people have to live without proper amenities. Land for these colonies was taken at low rates from farmers and handed over to developers.
Land pooling policy was earlier introduced in Mohali by the Akali govt," he said.
Cheema added that the land pooling policy was aimed at planned urban development but was withdrawn if farmers were not satisfied with the policy.
"The AAP govt has defended the interests of farmers and has ensured that canal water reached every field. The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) was stopped from releasing additional water to Haryana. Uninterrupted power supply has been ensured for the agriculture sector," he said.
BOX: AAP MLA DISTRIBUTES SWEETS
AAP MLA from Fatehgarh Sahib Lakhbir Singh Rai distributed sweets to celebrate the withdrawal of the land pooling policy. "We are thankful to the CM Mann and the Punjab government, who, after listening to the voice of the farmers and the people of Punjab, have withdrawn the land pooling policy. The state's development will proceed according to the wishes of its people. The state govt has scrapped it based on the feedback," he said.
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