5 days ago
Sukhbir Badal vows to return land to farmers if SAD wins 2027 polls
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday said that if his party forms the government in Punjab in 2027, it will return all the land acquired by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to farmers, as it did with the land acquired for the Sutlej Yamuna Link canal in 2016.
Badal's comments came days after the Punjab and Haryana High Court stayed the implementation of the land pooling policy, which aimed at acquiring over 65,000 acres of land across 21 cities and towns for urban and industrial development.
In 2016, the SAD-BJP government passed Punjab Assembly Satluj-Yamuna Link Canal Land (Transfer of Property Rights) Bill, 2016 to return 3,928 acres of the land acquired for the project.
Addressing a political conference on the occasion of Rakhar Punya (Raksha Bandhan), Badal said, 'We can sacrifice our life but will not allow even one inch of land to be forcibly acquired from the farmers. From September 1, we will launch the 'Jameen Bachao — Punjab Bachao Morcha', an indefinite march from Gurdwara Sri Amb Sahib in Mohali to the new Sheesh Mahal where AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal is residing'.
He alleged that AAP was acquiring 65,000 acres of fertile land 'for peanuts' and giving it to 'builders from Delhi' as part of a Rs 30,000-crore deal. He claimed the land registry and change-of-use processes had been stopped, creating problems for farmers.
Badal announced that a future SAD government would 'ban outsiders from purchasing land in Punjab' and ensure that '80 per cent of jobs in new companies go to Punjabis.' He also pledged to restore the Atta-Daal and Shagun schemes and increase old-age pensions.
Referring to past electoral setbacks, Badal alleged that the AAP and Congress had 'together defamed' the SAD and claimed that the AAP was linked to the 2016 Malerkotla sacrilege incident.
He condemned the registration of what he called 'false cases' against the party's senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia. 'Now the police are harassing Akali workers in Majha to implicate him in more cases,' he said.
Urging people to 'strengthen the SAD' to protect Punjab's interests, Badal accused the Congress and the AAP of harming the state and its institutions.
