Ludhiana, Punjab (February 19, 2014): By nominating noted Supreme Court lawyer H.S. Phoolka from the Ludhiana Lok Sabha constituency, the Aam Aadmi Party seems to have created a stir in Punjab. Advocate H. S. Phoolka is well-known for fighting cases of the November 1984 Sikh pogrom victims in various courts for over two decades.
On Tuesday (February 18), as Advocate Phoolka shot off a defamation notice to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal President of Badal Dal and Deputy-CM of Punajb for alleging that he (Advo. Phoolka) had charged fees for his services to the victims’ families, it became clear that the battle ahead for the crucial Sikh votes will be bitter and hard.
Justice for the families of the 1984 victims is a sensitive issue in Punjab, one that is used by the ruling Badal Dal in its political battles against the Congress.
With Advocate Phoolka’s entry in the electoral fray, the first salvo was fired by Sukhbir Badal who tried to discredit the lawyer.
At a function, the junior Badal reportedly said: “Mr. Phoolka is a professional lawyer who charged a heavy fee for fighting these cases. The Shiromani Akali Dal, the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee and the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee have all paid him. Earlier he represented us, today he represents the AAP and in future he can represent the Congress.” Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia followed up by declaring that the “people of Punjab will decide in the Lok Sabha elections as to who fought for the rights of the State.”
The first political jolt for the SAD came when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for the November 1984 massacre realted cases. The move was seen as sincere effort of Aam Aadmi Party’s Delhi Government thought the effectiveness of such a team after three decades of the massacre remains to be seen.
Advocate H. S. Phoolka was nominated by the AAP from Ludhiana and has begun his election campaign in earnest with a ‘Jharoo Chalao’ yatra.
While reacting to Sukhbir Badal’s allegation, Advocate Phoolka said on Tuesday (Feb. 18) that he has served a defamation notice on the former for “levelling false allegations.”
“If Mr. Badal proves this allegation, I will quit politics and also the legal profession. And if Mr. Badal fails to prove it, he should quit the Akali Dal and the post of Deputy Chief Minister,” said HS Phoolka adding “such a person has no right to lead the Akali Dal.”