Sarbjit Dhaliwal Chandigarh: Preferring the securing of justice for victims of 1984 anti- Sikh riots over the status of cabinet minister as a leader of Opposition(LoP) in the State Assembly, Aam Aadmi Party Dakha MLA H.S. Phoolka today resigned as LoP requesting his party high command to find his replacement.

Sarbjit Dhaliwal

Chandigarh: Preferring the securing of justice for victims of 1984 anti- Sikh riots over the status of cabinet minister as a leader of Opposition(LoP) in the State Assembly, Aam Aadmi Party Dakha MLA  H.S. Phoolka today  resigned as LoP requesting his party high command to find his replacement.

Speaking to the Rozana Spokesman, Phoolka said “for me securing justice for the riot victims is top priority. The role of leader of opposition can be given to some other deserving party MLA of the AAP”. He said that he was to appear in the Delhi High Court tomorrow in a bail case against Sajjan Kumar and because of this reason he resigned today.

Without quitting the status of a cabinet minister, which he got by virtue of being a LoP, Phoolka could not appear in the court cases. He had sought a clarification in this regard from the Bar Council of India which told him that rules do not permit to an advocate holding the office of profit to appear in the court.

“While the role of the LoP can be performed any other competent MLA colleague of the AAP in the State Assembly but no one else could appear in the cases I have been fighting for the past 33 years in various courts for the families of riot victims”, said Phoolka adding that he had all the relevant documents and other material that was important for the court cases.

“From tomorrow, I am to appear in one court or other on all working days till the end of this month”, said Phoolka. “ In fact, next six months are important regarding cases related to the riot victims which these cases have entered the crucial state”, he added.

 “First time I appeared in these cases in December, 1984 and since then there was no stopping” he said adding that he did not charge a single penny for appearing in these cases.

Had Phoolka preferred to remain as a LoP instead of appearing in the cases of riot victims, it would have created a political storm against him. Opponents would have politically mauled him. Phoolka’s political USP has been his consistency on the issue of securing justice for the riot victims. That consistency paid him dividends in political arena also. Any compromise on this issue would have finished him politically.