BABA BAKALA (TARN TARAN): Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today assured Punjabis that once they formed a SAD government in the State it would return all land acquired by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) back to the farmers on the same pattern in which it had returned land acquired for the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal to the farmers in 2016.
Addressing a huge political conference on the occasion of Rakhar Punya here, the SAD president said “we are very clear. We can sacrifice our life but will not allow even once inch of land to be forcibly acquired from the farmers. It is for this reason that we are launching the ‘Jameen Bachao - Punjab Bachao Morcha’ from September 1 which will witness an indefinite march everyday from Gurdwara Sri Amb Sahib in Mohali to the nearby New “Sheesh Mahal” where Aam Aadmi Party Convener Arvind Kejriwal has taken up residence”.
Mr Sukhbir Badal said that unlike the erstwhile SAD governments which had always given adequate compensation for land acquisition for important projects, Arvind Kejriwal was intent on grabbing fertile farm land for peanuts and handing it over to builders from Delhi as part of a Rs 30, 000 crore under hand deal. He said farmers across 65, 000 acres of land which was being acquired were already facing problems with all registry and even change of land use processes being stopped.
Asserting that the SAD always stood for safeguarding the rights of Punjabis, Mr Sukhbir Badal said “once we form the government in 2027 we will ban outsiders from purchasing land in Punjab. We will also also ensure that government jobs are given to Punjabis only and that all new companies recruit as much as 80 per cent Punjabi employees”. He also announced that the Atta- daal and Shagun schemes would be restarted and that old age pension would be hiked.
Asserting that it was a defamation campaign which had resulted in the SAD loss in 2017, Mr Badal said AAP and the Congress were together to defame the SAD. “Now conclusive proof has emerged that AAP was behind the sacrilege incident in Malerkotla in 2016 with the conviction of its legislator in 2024. If a thorough probe is launched into other cases of sacrilege it will be revealed that AAP was behind them also”, he added.
Mr Badal also condemned the AAP government for suppressing the voice of dissent by registering a false case against Mr Bikram Singh Majithia. He said once the government failed to present a challan against Majithja in the earlier NDPS case registered against him they filed another false case in the form of a Disproportionate Assets case. He said now the police was harassing Akali workers in the Majha region in a desperate bid to implicate Majithja in further cases.
The SAD president also spoke on how the Panth and its religious institutions were being attacked from all sides now. Urging the people to strengthen the party and shun the Congress which had attacked Sri Darbar Sahib with tanks and AAP which had looted Punjab and its resources, Mr Badal said only the SAD could safeguard the interests of the State & its people.
Senior leaders who spoke on the occasion included SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, Gulzar Singh Ranike, Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, Sucha Singh Langah, Lakhbir Singh Lodhinangal, Veer Singh Lopoke, Bandi Singh Bhai Gurdeep Singh Khera, Baljit Singh Jalalusma, Satinder Singh Chhajalwadi, Rajwinder Singh Raja Ladeh, Alwinderpal Singh Pakhoke, Jodh Samra, Iqbal Singh Sandhu, Narinder Kumar Behal, Ravinder Singh Brahampura, Guriqbal Singh Mahal, Gaurav Valtoha and Principal Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa.