Dhuri, July 22 — Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday dismissed the Opposition’s allegations over the newly approved land pooling policy as “baseless propaganda,” assuring that no farmland would be forcibly acquired under the scheme.
Speaking at a gathering of sarpanches in his Dhuri Assembly segment, Mann said, “Participation in this policy is completely voluntary. No farmer will be forced to part with land, and every contributor will receive a fair return.” His comments come just ahead of a planned statewide protest by the Opposition and various farmer groups.
Mann asserted that the land pooling initiative is intended to promote legal urban development while putting an end to the rise of unauthorised colonies. “This policy will prevent innocent people from being cheated into buying plots in illegal colonies that lack basic infrastructure,” he said.
Taking aim at political rivals, he added, “The Opposition is opposing the policy just for the sake of it. There will be no forcible land acquisition, and no land will be taken without farmers’ consent.”
The policy, under which the state plans to pool over 65,000 acres of land for the development of new townships—particularly around industrial cities like Ludhiana—has come under fire from Opposition parties and farmer groups. They have accused the AAP government of aligning with real estate developers to exploit farmland.
State Congress president Amrinder Raja Warring, in a sharp critique on Sunday, alleged that the government was trying to bypass the pro-farmer Land Acquisition Act. “The Mann government wants to snatch farmers’ land without paying compensation, just to sell it off to private players and fund populist schemes in the last year of its term,” Warring claimed.
Farmer unions have echoed similar concerns, warning that the scheme could open doors to corruption and land exploitation, with fears that powerful interests within the government could profit from it.
Rejecting these allegations, Mann reiterated that the scheme was designed with farmers’ welfare in mind. “For every acre contributed, the landowner will receive a residential plot of 1,000 square yards and an additional 200 square yards for commercial use,” he said, insisting that the value of what farmers receive would exceed the original land contribution.
Mann also said the state was committed to ensuring full transparency and fairness in the process. “This is not about taking land—it’s about giving opportunity. Farmers will be our partners in growth, not victims of it.”
The land pooling model, already implemented in other Indian states like Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, is aimed at structured urban expansion without the state directly purchasing land. In Punjab, the government argues it will unlock land value, create planned colonies, and generate employment.
But with protests on the horizon and political heat rising, the coming weeks will test how well the Mann government can convince both farmers and the wider public of its intentions.
