The Punjab government, under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, has officially withdrawn its much-debated Land Pooling Policy, 2025, following mounting legal and political pressure. The decision came just days after the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued an interim stay on the policy.
Background and Withdrawal
According to Hindustan Times, the policy, initially notified in May and revised in July, proposed the acquisition of approximately 65,500 acres of fertile agricultural land across 164 villages – nearly 45,000 acres in Ludhiana alone – for planned urban development. It aimed to replace landowners’ acreage with 1,000 sq yd residential and 200 sq yd commercial plots in fully developed areas.
Despite assurances that no land would be “forcibly acquired,” farmers raised concerns that the scheme would lead to permanent loss of land and livelihood. Protests erupted across districts such as Ludhiana, Jalandhar, and Hoshiarpur, with AAP leaders often denied entry into villages. The unrest resulted in party leaders resigning in protest.
On August 7, the High Court issued an interim stay, calling out the lack of required Social Impact Assessment (SIA) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the absence of rehabilitation plans for affected communities, and the acquisition of multi-cropped fertile land in haste.
By August 11, the government formally withdrew the policy, announcing that all actions – such as Letters of Intent (LOIs) and registrations – would be reversed. AAP spokesperson Neel Garg highlighted the decision as a gesture of respect to farmers’ sentiment: “If farmers do not like this policy, why should we impose it?”
Reactions Across the Spectrum
Farmers and opposition parties hailed the rollback as a collective victory. In areas like Amritsar, landowners expressed profound relief, with some land valued at over ₹3 crore per acre facing threat before the policy was scrapped.
Political opponents used the reversal to their advantage. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leveraged the issue to reenergise its rural appeal ahead of future elections, while Congress and BJP leaders also applauded the farmers’ resistance.
For AAP, however, the withdrawal marks a significant setback. The party’s centralized messaging faltered in rural areas, and its credibility suffered amid visible internal dissent and public backlash.
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