The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), led by president Sukhbir Singh Badal, has announced a robust protest campaign against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s controversial land pooling policy, set to commence on September 1, 2025, in Mohali. Addressing the media after a party meeting in Chandigarh, Badal fiercely criticized the policy as a “land-grabbing” scheme, alleging that it is designed to transfer fertile farmland to builders in a deal orchestrated by AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal. The SAD vows to continue its agitation until the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, withdraws the policy.

Badal claimed that the AAP government’s policy, approved by the Punjab cabinet in June 2025, threatens farmers and the poor by facilitating a Rs 30,000 crore deal to hand over agricultural land to Delhi-based builders. “The AAP government and Kejriwal attacked farmers and the poor in Punjab. They want to raise money for the party by looting Punjab,” Badal asserted, vowing that the SAD would not permit the acquisition of “even one inch” of farmers’ land under the scheme.

The policy, which offers landowners a 1,000-square-yard residential plot and a 200-square-yard commercial plot for every acre of land pooled, has been met with widespread criticism from opposition parties and farmer organizations, who label it a mechanism to “rob” farmers of their valuable assets.

The AAP government has defended the policy, describing it as “farmer-friendly” and asserting that no land will be forcibly acquired. AAP leaders have accused the opposition, including the SAD, of spreading misleading propaganda to undermine the initiative, which they claim aims to provide developed land to owners voluntarily. However, the escalating tensions highlight a deepening rift between the ruling party and its critics, with farmers’ unions joining the SAD in condemning the policy as exploitative.

As the September 1 protest looms, the controversy underscores significant concerns about land rights and governance in Punjab, setting the stage for a high-stakes political showdown.

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