Posters banning entry of AAP leaders appear in Ludhiana villages
On Sunday evening, flex posters in Punjabi were pasted at the entrance roads of all four villages. Featuring photos of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, the posters read:
'Bhagwant Mann Bhajao, Punjab Bachao' and 'Kejriwal Bhajao, Zamin Bachao' and declared:
'There is a strict ban on the entry of any AAP leader into the village until the land pooling policy is revoked.'
Issued in the name of the 'Zamin Bachao, Punjab Bachao Sangharsh Committee', the posters reflect growing grassroots anger against the government's urban development plans. Villagers said the move follows weeks of village meetings, protest rallies, and warnings to AAP leaders not to promote the contentious policy.
Didar Singh of Malak village said, 'We had passed a resolution against land pooling and submitted it to the GLADA office. Now the time has come to intensify our protest. This struggle must be fought from our villages—not at Delhi borders or elsewhere.' Nirbhai Singh, former sarpanch of Aligarh, added, 'The message is loud and clear—no AAP leader is welcome anymore.' Residents also said AAP supporters in these villages have been warned not to promote the scheme.
The land pooling policy seeks to acquire over 65,000 acres across 164 villages, including more than 24,000 acres in Ludhiana district. Farmers fear permanent loss of ancestral lands and livelihoods, fuelling protests in agriculturally rich areas.
Statewide agitation is set to intensify, with Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) Punjab and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) planning tractor marches at village and tehsil levels on July 30, a motorcycle rally by KMM on August 11, and mahapanchayats in Jalandhar (August 20) and Mullanpur (August 24). SKM (Non-Political) will hold a separate protest in Faridkot on August 7.
Manjit Singh Rai, president of BKU Doaba, said similar posters will soon appear in Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar. 'Several gram sabhas have passed resolutions declaring that no one can dare acquire their land,' he said.
The ban recalls the 2020–21 agitation, when BJP leaders were barred from villages during the farm laws protests. Farmer unions had accused the Centre of repression and excessive force at protest sites like Shambhu and Khanauri, where Shubhkaran Singh was killed and dozens injured.
'The defiant move by these Ludhiana villages suggests a deepening rural backlash against policies seen as threatening land ownership and farmer autonomy,' said Harinder Singh Lakhowal, president of BKU Lakhowal. 'Hundreds of farmers gathered in Bhaini Sahib area of Ludhiana on Sunday afternoon to protest the scheme.'
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