Ludhiana, May 28 (IANS) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Badal on Wednesday asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab to withdraw the notification to acquire 24,000 acres adjoining Ludhiana or be ready to face a ‘morcha’ aimed at securing the rights of the aggrieved farmers.

The SAD President also asserted that once his party forms the government in 2027, it would ensure that all government jobs were reserved for Punjabis only.

“Right now, 50 per cent of all government jobs are being given to outsiders by the AAP government.”

He also announced that the next SAD government would not allow outsiders to buy land in the state.

“Punjab will be for Punjabis only,” he asserted.

Addressing a sit-in protest in front of the GLADA office here, Badal made it clear that the party would not allow the AAP government to acquire even one inch of land, adding, “we will not allow the AAP conspiracy to rob our farmers of their lands simply to fill the party’s coffers to succeed.”

He also made it clear that SAD would take its agitation to other cities, where farmers were being unfairly ousted from their fertile lands.

Asserting that the Akali Dal had always safeguarded the interests of Punjabis against outsiders, Badal said, “We will not let the AAP central leadership, led by Arvind Kejriwal and his lieutenants Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain to operationalise this scam.”

He said change of land use (CLU) certificates were being offered at Rs 1 crore an acre to keep any chosen area out of the 24,000-acre acquisition.

“This makes it clear that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has surrendered completely to the AAP central leadership and is now even ready to snatch the precious fertile land of farmers to remain in his chair,” he said.

–IANS

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