PHOOLKA TO QUIT AS LEADER OF OPPN TO FIGHT ’84 RIOT CASES
CHANDIGARH: Aam Aadmi Party leader HS Phoolka on Sunday decided to quit as the leader of Opposition in Punjab assembly to continue fighting cases of 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims.
Phoolka, MLA from Dakha assembly constituency, told Hindustan Times that he has made up his mind and requested AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal to relieve him from the position within a week.
“I have to resign to be able to appear in courts for riot victims. As leader of Opposition, I cannot appear in any cases. I tried to look at other options, but it did not work,” he said.
Phoolka, a Supreme Court lawyer, was caught between leading the party MLAs in the state assembly and continuing his fight for justice for victims of the 1984 riots and he chose the latter. After the Punjab assembly polls, the AAP had emerged as the principal opposition party with 20 seats while the Congress stormed to power with a twothirds majority.
THE RESIGNATION WILL TRIGGER A FRESH RACE FOR THE POST IN PUNJAB AAP
The MLA was elected leader of the AAP legislature party on March 16 and become the leader of Opposition in the state assembly. Later, the Delhi Bar Council disallowed him from continuing his legal practice, citing that he held an “office of profit” being the leader of Opposition with a cabinet minister rank.
RECOMMENDS 3 MLAS AS PROBABLE CANDIDATES
Phoolka recommended names of MLAs Sukhpal Khaira, Kanwar Sandhu and Aman Arora as probables for the post of leader of Opposition in the Punjab assembly. “I will resign once the new leader is elected,” he said.
Earlier, the AAP leader had openly expressed the desire to continue appearing in riots cases he was fighting on behalf of victims. “Sought permission to do ’84 carnage case pro bono, Bar Council should realise, it doesn’t amount to practice, rather should encourage it. Seek review,” he tweeted last week after the council disallowed him from appearing in cases against Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and others.
The resignation is likely to trigger a fresh race among the party legislators for the leadership position in the state assembly.
Both Khaira, the only AAP MLA with some prior political experience, and Sandhu, a former editor who headed the party’s poll manifesto committee, were among the contenders for the position of leader of Opposition in March also.
Khaira, a firebrand leader, was made the party’s chief whip. When Bhagwant Mann was made the state unit president, he had announced his resignation from the post.
Arora is co-president of the state unit.