Senior Congress leader and former Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu today strongly condemned the Punjab government over reports that it is moving ahead with the auction of land belonging to debt-ridden farmers through cooperative banks. He said this step has once again exposed the anti-farmer mindset of the Aam Aadmi Party government, which came to power by making false promises to Punjab’s farmers but is now targeting the very people it claimed to represent.
Balbir Singh Sidhu said that after failing to implement its Land Pooling Scheme and after attempts to sell land belonging to PSPCL and other government entities, the Bhagwant Mann government is now trying to fill its empty coffers by putting the land of struggling farmers at risk. He said it is shameful that a Chief Minister who calls himself a son of farmers has repeatedly acted against their interests since the very first day of his government.
Balbir Singh Sidhu said that unlike the previous Congress government, which gave debt waiver relief to farmers and worked to support them in times of distress, the Bhagwant Mann government is doing the exact opposite by moving towards auctioning the land of debt-ridden farmers. “Bhagwant Mann promised MSP on 22 crops, but that promise was abandoned.
Farmers who raised their voice peacefully were met with force and intimidation. Now, instead of supporting those trapped in debt and distress, this government is preparing to auction their land. This is not governance, this is betrayal,” said Balbir Singh Sidhu.
He said Punjab’s farmers are already facing enormous economic pressure due to rising input costs, debt burden and policy failures, and in such a situation, the duty of the government is to protect them, not push them further towards ruin. Sidhu said the move reflects the financial mismanagement of the AAP government, which has failed to run the state responsibly and is now looking for easy targets to cover up its failures.
Balbir Singh Sidhu demanded that the Punjab government immediately stop any move aimed at auctioning the land of indebted farmers and instead bring forward a serious relief mechanism for farming families in distress. He said the Congress Party stands firmly with Punjab’s farmers and will continue to raise its voice against every anti-farmer decision of the Bhagwant Mann government.
“The farmers of Punjab will not forgive this attack on their land, livelihood and dignity. Bhagwant Mann must understand that those who betray Punjab’s farmers always have to pay the price,” Balbir Singh Sidhu added.