Farmers Win, Panjab Withdraws Land Pooling Policy

On 11 Aug, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Panjab government announced the withdrawal of the policy facing backlash over its controversial Land Pooling Policy 2025. Principal Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development Vikas Garg said, 'Government hereby withdraws the Land Pooling Policy dated 14.05.2025 and its subsequent amendments. Consequently, all actions, like Letters of Intent issued, registrations done or any other action taken thereunder shall be reversed henceforth.' The govt intended to acquire 65,533 acres in 165 villages adjoining major cities like Ludhiana, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, and others. The policy aimed for an urbanization push in a state that is dominated by a rural population with deep roots in farming. On 6 Aug, the Punjab and Haryana High Court questioned and stayed the govt from bringing in the policy without undertaking any environmental or social impact assessment. Farmer and farm laborer unions, landholders, and political parties opposed the policy. Most of Panjab’s media took up the cause of opponents of the policy. Numerous gram panchayats (village councils) passed resolutions against the policy. Indian National Congress (INC), the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused AAP of attempting to grab land from farmers. A farmer leader Jagmohan Singh from Samyukt Kisan Morcha said, ‘It seems good sense has prevailed...The policy was unconstitutional as it violated the provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, under which the consent of 70% of landowners surrounding any land acquisition is required.’ Opposition parties termed it a victory. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal congratulated all Panjabis for fighting unitedly. INC leader and Member of Legislative Assembly Pargat Singh said the withdrawal was a victory for Panjab’s farmers, laborers, and every citizen who had participated in the grassroots movement against the policy. This is the Panjab farmers’s second victory in 5 years since the Indian Prime Minister repealed the draconian Farm Laws in November 2021 after a close to year-long Farmers Protest 1.0 in Delhi (earlier coverage).