The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has strongly condemned the Haryana government’s newly introduced “e-Bhoomi” land pooling policy, calling it a measure intended to deprive small farmers of their land for the advantage of large corporations and influential leaders connected to the Bharatiya Janata Party. The party has accused the government of disguising the policy as a development initiative while its real purpose is to transfer farmers’ lands into the hands of private interests.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, AAP’s national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda alleged that the policy paves the way for the acquisition of more than 35,000 acres of farmland, out of which nearly 95 percent belongs to small farmers holding less than ten acres. He argued that the policy does not provide genuine participation for such farmers and instead encourages middlemen to buy their land at low government-fixed circle rates, only to later sell it at higher market prices to private developers.
Dhanda emphasized that the scheme takes away the ownership rights of farmers by offering only one-time compensation based on circle rates, which are significantly below the actual market value. He contrasted this with the Land Acquisition Act of 2013, under which farmers are entitled to receive four times the market rate. In addition, he highlighted that the government has introduced a cash incentive of three thousand rupees per acre for middlemen, further institutionalizing exploitation under the guise of policy.
The policy, according to Dhanda, unfairly targets small farmers who are compelled to surrender their entire holdings, whereas bigger landowners are allowed to part with only portions of their land. This makes the burden disproportionately heavy for the smaller farming community. He also pointed out that landless laborers, who depend entirely on agricultural work for survival, have not been provided with any plan for compensation or rehabilitation, leaving them completely neglected by the government.
Further accusing ruling party members, Dhanda claimed that several BJP ministers and associates of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini have been quietly purchasing vast amounts of land in the proposed development zones over the past two years. He alleged that these lands, acquired cheaply, will now gain immense value under the new policy. To ensure transparency, he demanded that the government reveal records of all such land transactions carried out during this period.
Dhanda did not limit his criticism to the BJP alone but also called out the Congress, recalling how senior leaders like Anil Vij had previously opposed land acquisition moves but had now chosen silence. He described the situation as a betrayal of farmers’ trust by both major political parties. Asserting that AAP will not allow such exploitation to go unchallenged, Dhanda declared that the party will take its protest to every village across Haryana until the policy is withdrawn, branding the BJP-Congress stance as an “unholy alliance” against the state’s farming community.
