PHAGWARA: Despite the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s interim stay on the state’s Land Pooling Scheme, hundreds of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists staged a protest in Phagwara on Sunday, voicing strong opposition to the policy introduced by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab Government. The demonstration, led by former Union Minister Som Prakash Kainth, began with a sit-in at the Rest House before moving in a march towards the office of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM).
Addressing the gathering, Kainth alleged that the policy posed a threat to the livelihoods of farmers by enabling the acquisition of fertile agricultural land without genuine consent. He claimed that under the scheme, 6, 500 acres across Punjab — including 200 acres in Village Bhullarai, Tehsil Phagwara — would be taken out of cultivation, potentially displacing families engaged in farming for generations. The Punjab Government has maintained that no land will be acquired without the landowner’s approval, but Kainth asserted that opposition has emerged at most proposed acquisition sites.
The protest saw the participation of prominent BJP district leaders including Avtar Singh Mand, Paramjit Singh, and Ramesh Sachdeva. Demonstrators carried placards, shouted slogans, and burned an effigy symbolising the AAP-led government before submitting a memorandum to SDM Jashanjit Singh. The memorandum, addressed to the Governor of Punjab, demanded the immediate cancellation of the Land Pooling Policy.
Kainth also announced that the BJP will launch a protest march from Patiala on August 17, culminating in Village Bhullarai on August 31, as part of an intensified campaign against the scheme. The Land Pooling Policy has been a contentious issue in Punjab politics, with supporters citing urban development needs and critics warning of harm to the state’s agricultural backbone.