All District Collectors (DCs) in Punjab have been asked by the Congress-led Punjab government to prepare a list of farmers who own land beyond the permissible limit.
As per the Land Ceiling Act, 1972, a person can own only 17.5 acres of ‘Chahi’ (fertile land that depends on wells for irrigation) to 52 acres of ‘Banjar’ or wasteland. The orders came following the demands laid down by the Pendu and Khet Mazdoor Union on November 23, meeting with Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. One of the demands that the union presented to CM was about the excessive land owned by the upper caste (Jat Sikhs) in the state.
The orders were issued by the Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Department of Punjab. As per the orders, CM Channi has sought a report on the landholdings beyond the permissible limit. The orders state that the report should be sent to the department immediately.
The Assembly elections in Punjab are only a few months away. Such orders amidst politically charged-up Punjab are going to have ramifications sooner than later. The Jat Sikhs, who are the largest landowners in Punjab, have already conveyed their concerns to the ministers and office bearers in Congress that belong to the Jat Sikh community.
The Dalit community has been protesting in the state for months
While a lot of media coverage has been happening around the farmer protests against the now-repealed three Agriculture laws, very little importance has been given to the plea of the landless Dalit community in Punjab that has been protesting to get their demands fulfilled for months. It is well known that despite the fact that the Dalit community (Dalits and Dalit Sikhs) comprise more than 33 per cent of the state population, they own only two per cent of the land.
As per the revenue officers, it would not be possible to make a list of the landowners owning more the permissible land as they had already divided the land amongst themselves years ago to ensure the Land Ceiling Act does not apply to them. Many families have allegedly announced the legal separation of the property among the family members to evade the Act. Also, the protesting landless farmers claim that many families have got “benami” land showing ownership in the name of the farm labourers.
The Tribune quoted an official saying, “The issue was settled 50 years ago. Even the cases of land transfer to non-existent people, or land bought in different districts to evade the Act have been settled.” However, the reality, protesters claim, is completely different.
OpIndia reached out to Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union, Punjab. District General Secretary Tarsem Singh Khundehalal said, “We are landless farmers. The majority of us do not know anything other than farming. Still, we do not own any land and have to do farming on someone else’s land.” He further added that the state government is providing the land to the corporates while the landless farmers remain unheard.
“We are not against progress, but we feel discriminated. The previous governments did not enact Land Ceiling Act properly. We are facing a lot of problems. It is unfortunate that the government has not only failed to provide land for farming, but it has also failed to provide five marla land for our houses,” he added. Khundehalal further said, “Though the state government has approved the scheme to provide us land for houses, at Panchayat level, no one is paying any heed to our problems. Even today, we are protesting against the government with Rail Roko Andolan.” When OpIndia talked to Khundehalal, he was at a protest site with other protestors linked to seven such associations. He said the community was pleased that the CM at least announced to prepare a list but, “Until we get land for farming, it is of no use. A farmer can live a decent life only if he owns the land.”
Land ownership, caste discrimination and power politics in Punjab
Caste discrimination in Punjab’s Sikh Community is majorly based on land ownership. According to the 1991 Census, Dalits comprises 28.3% of the population in Punjab. The national average stands at 16.32%. Even though they are in a higher percentage in the state, the Dalit community does not have landowners. The majority of agricultural land in Punjab belongs to Jat Sikhs. Reports suggest Dalits own only 0.72% of the cultivated land in Punjab, and the inequality forces them to work either as labourers in the fields owned by Jat Sikhs or choose other professions.
Harish K. Puri, retired professor of political science and BR Ambedkar Chair, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, wrote that the settlements in rural Punjab are divided into upper and lower castes. The lower castes are supposed to live on the side where water flows when it rains and take dirt and debris with it. Dalits are often not allowed to build houses using concrete, often known as pucca houses, as the land where they live is often claimed by the Jat-Sikhs.
The ongoing protests in Punjab
For months, the Dalit and Dalit Sikh communities of Punjab have been protesting against the state government for inaction on the demands they had laid down in connection to loan waiver, land ownership, work under NREGA and many more. When CM Channi took over the charge, there were talks that Congress was trying to woo the Dalit communities in the state. However, the protesters claim that despite meetings with the CM, there has been almost negligible progress on the demands of the Dalit communities in the state.
On December 5, it was reported that several outfits of Dalit communities in Punjab had cornered the state government regarding pending demands of the landless farmers and labourers. Gulzar Gaurian, Punjab Khet Mazdoor Sabha, said the CM should release notification on the demands that he had agreed upon during the meeting regarding disbursal of plots to the homeless, restoration of uprooted electricity meters, fine and loan waivers, among others.
Makkhan Singh Ramgarh, Mazdoor Mukti Morcha, said CM Channi installed huge hoardings claiming residential plots and bill waivers etc., but the reality was far away from the truth. Between December 8 and December 11, several outfits burnt effigies of CM Channi for inaction on their demands.
