Cong MPs meet PM over land rights of Sikhs in Gujarat

Accusing Narendra Modi of playing "divisive" politics, several Congress MPs from Punjab and Haryana today approached Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, conveying fears of displacement of Sikh farmers from Kutch region of Gujarat.
A delegation of Congress MPs from the two states told Singh that the move by the BJP government in Gujarat to freeze land owned by Sikh farmers under provisions of the Bombay Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1958 demonstrated Modi's "anti-minority and anti-farmer mindset".
Under the provisions of the Act, these farmers cannot sell, buy or take any loan or subsidy on their land.
"The decision of the Modi government has very serious repercussions of creating artificial boundaries within our great nation...Could we request you to intervene in this matter in the interest of the distressed farmers and in the larger interest of the unity and integrity of our nation," the memorandum said.

In a memorandum submitted to the PM, the delegation recalled that the Sikh farmers were invited to settle in Kutch by then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri hoping that they would make the land cultivable and help guard the borders.
In 2010, the district collector ordered freezing of their land under provisions of the Act.
The order was challenged in the Gujarat High Court which gave a decision in favour of the farmers. Two months ago, the state government moved the Supreme Court against the decision.
The delegation included Punjab Congress chief P S Bajwa, Union minister Preneet Kaur and Depender Singh Hooda.