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Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Facing farmers' flak, Punjab govt scraps land pooling policy
CHANDIGARH: In the face of mounting criticism from farmers' groups and dissent within AAP ranks, Punjab government Monday withdrew its controversial Land Pooling Policy, 2025. The development comes four days after Punjab and Haryana high court stayed the policy, flagging several concerns, including absence of a rehabilitation policy for landless farm labourers, lack of impact assessment studies on society and environment, and the fact that fertile land was shortlisted for pooling. It may affect the social milieu, high court had said Thursday. On Monday, thousands of farmers held motorcycle rallies across the state to protest the land-pooling bid. In the evening, department of housing and urban development issued a short press note: "government hereby withdraws the Land Pooling Policy, 2025, and its subsequent amendments. Consequently, all actions like LOIs issued, registrations done or any other action taken thereunder shall be reversed henceforth. " It is learnt AAP's top leadership grew increasingly concerned the policy could be politically damaging and undermine govt's other achievements over the past three years. Several AAP functionaries had resigned over the issue, and dissent within the ranks was growing louder. Less than three weeks ago CM Bhagwant Mann assert that farmers would not suffer any losses and that they "actually like the policy as it would transform them into stakeholders in govt's development schemes". "The policy was introduced in the interest of farmers. AAP always stands with farmers. If farmers do not like this policy, why should we impose it? Therefore, respecting the voice of farmers we are withdrawing this policy," AAP spokesman Neel Garg posted on X.
News18
17-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Sentimentalism Is Poor Substitute For Good Governance
Last Updated: Punjab govt will be better advised to—instead of spending time and energy on constitutional, legal minutiae—focus on fiscal prudence, economic policy framework, good governanc What does our political class do when they fail on all fronts? Well, it takes recourse to religion, hoping that it could be a useful opiate to numb the cognitive and cogitative faculties of people, thus diverting their attention from the real issues. So, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, having failed to improve the situation in the state, is trying to bring a piece of legislation to provide for stricter punishments against sacrilege, including the death penalty. 'We will be convening a special session of Vidhan Sabha on July 10 and 11 to bring a historic legislation for stricter punishment against those found guilty of sacrilege. The Centre should have done it. However, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is bringing it in Punjab as it understands the emotions of the people of the state," AAP spokesperson Neel Garg recently said. The spokesperson, indeed the state government, needs to understand that there are more important things for people than emotions—things like jobs, decent and healthy life, good human and physical environment. On every count, the AAP government in Punjab has failed. According to the latest report from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for October-December 2024, there was a steep rise in youth unemployment in urban Punjab. The rate in the 15-29 age group soared from 12.2 per cent in the July-September 2024 period to 14.9 per cent in October-December 2024. Female unemployment rates were higher than male. It is hardly surprising that the lack of opportunities at home fuels the young Punjabis' impulse to seek greener pastures in other countries. Many of them go to countries like the US and Canada by illegal means. When the US deported many Indians in a humiliating condition, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann urged the youth to learn lessons from the recent mass deportation of illegal migrants. He beseeched them to work hard in their native state to make it a frontrunner in the country. That, however, will be predicated upon objective conditions in the state: that is, fiscal policies and a sound policy framework, which are the sine qua non of growth and development. But the state is spending 86 per cent of its new borrowing to repay old loans. But legacy debt is not the only burden the AAM regime is condemned to bear; it is doing its own bit—more than a bit actually—to augment the burden. It continued its tryst with freebies. Unsurprisingly, the economy continues to underperform, growing at a pace lower than the national average. Punjab's agriculture, once booming which made the state the breadbasket of the nation, is worse than languishing. Subsidy-oriented and MSP-based farm policies, both of the Centre and the state, have introduced distortions in the farm sectors and made it adopt anti-environment practices like stubble burning and drawing excessive groundwater. There is scarcely any spark in the industrial sector; the state rarely appears on the manufacturing map of India. And then there are drugs. Early this month, the Punjab and Haryana High Court highlighted the dangerous ramifications of the use of cocaine, heroin, etc. Justice Sumeet Goel warned that the crisis is no longer confined to personal addiction but has begun to threaten public order, national security, and the rule of law itself. 'It is the considered view of this Court that cases pertaining to the drug menace, especially those involving manufactured drugs, must be dealt with the utmost strictness and resolve," the High Court declared. This, four months after the Punjab government set a three-month deadline to declare the state free from drugs! Chief Minister Singh Mann called the time of that decision 'a historic moment as the state government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy against drugs and is launching a crusade against this menace." Only if government decisions and announcements could transform the world into a paradise! Since the AAP government in Punjab has failed to save the state and its people from various menaces, it has now decided to shield religion and gods. Sacrilege has long been an emotionally-charged issue in Punjab. There was an incident of sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari in 2015. This badly hurt the electoral prospects of the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government; specifically, it hurt the Akali Dal; the party is yet to fully recover from it. Since then, successive governments have made repeated efforts to introduce laws mandating harsher penalties for sacrilege. CM Mann has emphasised that while the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) includes specific provisions related to religious places, it does not explicitly address Sikh scriptures. He believes that since this issue falls under the Concurrent List, the state has the jurisdiction to frame its own legislation on the matter. Mann and his government will be better advised to—instead of spending time and energy on constitutional and legal minutiae—focus on fiscal prudence, a sound economic policy framework, and good governance. The author is a freelance journalist. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views. view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 09, 2025, 19:30 IST News opinion Opinion | Sentimentalism Is Poor Substitute For Good Governance Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. 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Indian Express
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Punjab considering law with death penalty for sacrilege, to convene special Assembly session
The Punjab government is attempting to bring in a legislation providing for stricter punishment against crimes of sacrilege, and is exploring legal options for a provision of death penalty for those found guilty. 'We will be convening a special session of Vidhan Sabha on July 10 and 11 to bring a historic legislation for stricter punishment against those found guilty of sacrilege. The Centre should have done it. However, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is bringing it in Punjab as it understands the emotions of the people of the state,' AAP spokesperson Neel Garg said on Saturday. Sacrilege and the need for tougher legislation has been an emotive issue in the state. In October 2015, during the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government's term, an incident of sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib in Bargari had changed the political narrative in the state, delivering a blow to the Akali Dal from which it has been struggling to recover. Almost every government since then has attempted to bring in legislation providing for stricter punishment for sacrilege. Sources said such a legislation will require a state-specific amendment to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had earlier highlighted that while the BNS has clear provisions regarding religious places, it remains silent on Sikh holy granths. However, he said, since the subject falls under the concurrent list, the state has the authority to enact such a legislation, and that legal opinion would be sought accordingly. Mann had said that this process would be completed shortly and that a Cabinet meeting would be convened soon. A source in the ruling AAP government told The Indian Express, 'We are bringing in a legislation. We are seeking a legal opinion on whether the death penalty is legally tenable. The Chief Minister, in his public addresses, has advocated death penalty for these crimes several times. The government is now taking a legal opinion on whether this can be done. Otherwise, we will go ahead with life sentence as punishment.' AAP will be the third successive government to bring a legislation against sacrilege. The move comes seven years after former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's Congress government passed two Bills providing for stricter punishment against crimes of sacrilege but could not get the President's assent. During the Congress regime, the Punjab Assembly had in 2018 passed The Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018 and The Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018, which stipulated punishment up to life imprisonment for injury, damage or sacrilege to Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagwat Gita, Holy Quran and Holy Bible with the intention to hurt the religious feelings of the people. The Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018, sought to amend the IPC by inserting Section 295AA. Under the existing Section 295 A, a convict is subjected to punishment for a maximum of three years imprisonment with or without fine. It also sought to enhance the punishment under Section 295 IPC (Injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) from two to ten years of imprisonment. Sources said the Centre recently returned the sacrilege Bills passed by the Amarinder government in 2018, asking it to legislate afresh keeping in view the provisions of the BNS. The two Bills were about insertions in the provisions in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and The Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). Earlier, in March 2016, the then SAD-BJP government had brought in The Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016, and The Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016, recommending life sentence for desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib. The Centre had returned the Bill saying all religions needed to be treated equally as per the secular nature of the Constitution. It asked the Punjab government to either withdraw the Bill or include all religions in the proposed amendment. Later, in August 2018, the Amarinder government passed the two Bills by including the holy scriptures of all faiths. In 2022, CM Mann had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking Presidential assent to the two Bills passed seven years ago. The government's decision to bring a new legislation with provisions for death penalty stems from political and public demands for harsher punishments for sacrilege. Among the protesters is Gurjeet Singh Khalsa who has been protesting atop a BSNL tower in Samana, Patiala, since October 2024. He has been demanding the death penalty for those found guilty of sacrilege. It is learnt that the Chief Secretary KAP Sinha had briefed CM Mann about the protester, stating that if something happened to him, it could create a law and order situation since sacrilege was an emotive issue. Last week, CM Mann had met representatives of the Sarb Dharam Beadbi Rokko Kanoon Morcha, one of the outfits seeking stricter punishment for sacrilege, and promised them that the state government would introduce legislation against such acts. after the meeting, the Chief Minister had stated that the government would consult legal experts to ensure that a robust state legislation is enacted, and explore the possibility of capital punishment for such crimes. While the CM has been calling for capital punishment for sacrilege, a few leaders in the party are of the view that death penalty would be too harsh and may be not be legally tenable.
Hindustan Times
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
AAP hits back at Sukhbir over power tariff claims
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday refuted the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal's claim regarding power tariffs and industrial policies in Punjab, claiming that their government in the state was cleaning the mess it inherited. AAP senior spokesperson Neel Garg, while blaming the SAD-BJP regime's abysmal track record, alleged that they left behind a legacy of corruption, inefficiency and debt. 'We inherited this mess and have worked tirelessly to clean it up. The day tariff, which Sukhbir is lamenting about, was introduced in 2017 during the Congress government, not under the present administration,' he said in a statement. According to Garg, under the SAD-BJP regime, industries were charged ₹8.75 per unit (inclusive of charges), endured frequent unscheduled power cuts, and faced rampant corruption. He said that in stark contrast, the AAP government prioritised affordable power, no power cuts, transparent governance, free electricity to the farmers, schools, hospitals and employment. 'Over 90% of small industries now benefit from subsidized electricity. Power cuts are rare and always announced in advance. Free and uninterrupted electricity for farmers has been ensured, benefitting Punjab's agrarian economy,' he claimed, dismissing Badal's allegations as baseless.
Hindustan Times
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Clarify BJP's stance on CISF deployment at Nangal dam, AAP tells Jakhar
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab on Sunday asked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Sunil Jakhar to clarify his party's stance on the central government's decision to deploy the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) project at Nangal. In a statement, AAP spokesperson Neel Garg claimed that during the all-party meeting led by chief minister Bhagwant Mann on the water issue, Jakhar stood with the Punjab government and assured every possible support, but his party's media in-charge was now supporting the decision to deploy CISF. 'This contradiction is baffling,' he said, asking Jakhar to state his position. Neel Garg said that Punjab has the rightful claim over its water, and neither the central government nor BBMB can impose their will arbitrarily. 'During previous governments, Punjab's canal system was in a dire state, primarily due to the Akali-BJP government's neglect. However, the Mann government has improved the canal water supply to over 60% of areas. Despite these efforts, Punjab is already facing a shortage of water for its farmers, making it impossible to share water with other states,' he said.
