Amid a two-year protest by Delhi’s rural farmers, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has hit out at the BJP government for denying them fair compensation. Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj asserted that land values have fallen to less than half after Power Grid towers were installed, yet farmers are being paid far below market rates. He demanded that the government grant compensation equal to market value instead of dividing farmers by fixing different rates for adjoining villages.
Pointing to the long-running farmers’ protest at Auchandi Border, AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, “For the past two years, our farmers have been sitting on a protest at the Auchandi Border, raising their demands regarding the Power Grid towers that have been installed in their fields. Once these towers are erected on a farmer’s land, the value of that land drops to less than half. Yet, these farmers have had to struggle for two years just to get compensation.”
Sharing the ordeal faced by the farmers, Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “It was only after they spent the entire night at the Alipur District Magistrate’s office that a slight discussion on compensation began to move forward. However, even after that, the compensation rates fixed by the government remain extremely low—much below the market value. To divide the farmers and break their unity, the government has even fixed different compensation rates for different villages situated along the same power line.”
Recalling BJP’s pre-election promises, he added, “Before the Delhi Assembly elections, BJP leaders had promised farmers that once their government came to power, the process of land mutation would begin immediately. Yet even today, farmers continue to face major difficulties in getting their land mutation done.”
Highlighting the hardships faced by rural residents in basic administrative tasks, he further added, “Our brothers from Delhi’s rural areas also face severe corruption and difficulties in getting routine certificates made from the tehsil—whether it is a caste certificate, Other Backward Class (OBC) certificate, Scheduled Caste (SC) certificate, non-creamy layer certificate, or income certificate. Every such document involves unnecessary hurdles and harassment for farmers and villagers.”
Meanwhile, farmer leader Ashok Nain stated, “For the past two years, at Delhi’s Auchandi Border—specifically in Auchandi village—farmers have been struggling to protect their land. Delhi is the capital of the country, and the farmer is our food provider. Yet, while these farmers protest under the scorching sun and in the rain, the BJP government continues to neglect them. They make tall promises during elections, deceive farmers, and take their votes.”
Pointing to the disparity in land valuation, he said, “The villages of Harewali, Auchandi, Mangeshpur, Punjab Khor, and Qutabgarh are all situated next to each other, yet the government has arbitrarily fixed different land values—some higher, some lower. These valuations are far below the current circle rate, causing immense financial loss to farmers.”
