In preparation for the protest to be held on July 28 against the Punjab government’s land pooling scheme, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) convened a crucial meeting Friday at Gurdwara Amb Sahib, Mohali. The protest, being planned as a decisive stand against what the party calls “forced land grabbing under the guise of development”, is set to become a historic event.
Senior leaders, including core committee member and former minister Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, former chief parliamentary secretary N K Sharma, and district jathedar Parvinder Singh Sohana, led the meeting. The party leadership reviewed the groundwork and gave final shape to preparations for the dharna.
Addressing the gathering, Sohana said, “Under orders from Delhi and in nexus with builders from Gurugram and Greater Noida, the Punjab government is hatching a conspiracy to snatch farmers’ land. This will never be allowed to happen. The land belongs to Punjab’s farmers and we will protect every inch of it.” He said that the July 28 protest in front of the GMADA office would send a message across the state.
Dr Cheema emphasised the importance of unity among party ranks and conveyed that “SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal wants to make this protest a historic show of strength. All leaders must set aside personal differences and ensure massive participation, especially from the farming community”.
Sharma said that the party has assigned responsibilities across all wings and sections of society. “Each wing will be mobilised efficiently, and special focus will be laid on ensuring presence of women during the protest,” he added.
The responsibility for stage management has been handed over to party spokesperson Shamsher Purkhalvi. Duties for on-ground coordination were also distributed among the workers present.
