Senior leader H S Phoolka resigns from Aam Aadmi Party

NEW DELHI:  HS Phoolka tendered his resignation from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday, becoming the latest in a stream of desertions of high profile members from the Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit.
The move comes amid growing speculation of a newfound bonhomie between the AAP and the Congress in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana. Phoolka, also a senior lawyer, has been representing the kin of victims of the ‘84 anti-Sikh riots in the Delhi Court, which recently awarded life term to key accused Sajjan Kumar, a former Congress leader.

The apparent closeness between the AAP and Congress in these three states seems to have prompted his exit from the party. While the Congress holds the reins of administration in Punjab, the AAP is in opposition, having 19 MLAs.The issue of alliance with the Congress came up during the AAP’s National Executive meeting at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence last month.

Later, while briefing the media, AAP MP Bhagwant Mann ruled out an alliance with the Congress, saying, “How can we ally with the Congress? We are in the Opposition in Punjab. What will the public say if we join hands with people who we fought during the state elections?”

Phoolka, the MLA from Punjab’s Dhaka assembly constituency, did specify any reason behind his move in his resignation letter to Kejriwal. The CM hasn’t accepted his resignation letter as yet. Taking to Twitter, Phoolka said he would go public with the reason why he quit the party at a press conference on Friday. Phoolka, who has been leading the quest for justice of the surviving kin of the ‘84 anti-Sikh riots victims, has said on several occasions that joining politics was a mistake. He joined AAP in 2014, shortly after the party was born.