NEW DELHI: Lawyer-activist HS Phoolka has attacked the AAP for “dumping” the issue of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots even as the Arvind Kejriwal-led party is campaigning in Punjab for the Lok Sabha elections. Punjab, with 13 Lok Sabha seats, goes to polls on May 19.
Phoolka, once a prominent face of the AAP in Punjab, had quit the party saying the outfit had moved away from the principles on which it was formed after a movement led by Gandhian Anna Hazare in 2012.
In a statement, the senior advocate, who is spearheading legal battles to get justice for the victims of the riots, stated that the AAP had “dumped” the issue of the 1984 riots completely. The issue, he said, had fetched the party four MPs in Punjab.
Phoolka alleged that the AAP “is covering its own guilt”. “During the 2014 elections, the 1984 anti-Sikh riots was a major issue for the AAP and it won four seats in Punjab on this issue. Now, the AAP has totally dumped the issue and does not even talk about it. I have given up politics and didn’t take part in these elections at all. To cover up its own guilt, the AAP is accusing me,” Phoolka said.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is in Punjab along with three Delhi ministers to canvass support for his party’s candidates, has not responded to Phoolka’s statement. But senior AAP leader Satyendar Jain said that he would never say anything against his ex-colleague. “I respect HS Phoolka ji. His commitment to fight for the victims of the riots is unparalleled. I have not, and will never say anything against him,” Jain tweeted.
Phoolka had joined the party in 2014 and unsuccessfully contested the parliamentary elections from Ludhiana. After his departure from the AAP, he ruled out joining any political party despite acknowledging his “closeness” to several BJP leaders, including Union Minister Vijay Goel. The BJP leader had felicitated Phoolka, with a social service award for his contribution to society.