HS Phoolka had earlier resigned from the post of leader of Opposition in Punjab assembly to continue his legal battle for the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and senior lawyer H.S. Phoolka, who has been representing victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, resigned from the party Thursday.
“I have resigned from AAP & handed over resignation to Kejriwal ji today. Though he asked me not to resign but I insisted,” Phoolka, who had joined the party in 2014, tweeted.
He added that he would explain the reasons for his departure later. “Will be briefing media tomorrow at 4pm at Press Club, Raisina Rd, New Delhi to explain the Reason of leaving AAP & my further plans,” he wrote in his tweet.
Phoolka’s resignation comes close on the heels of the landmark judgment by the Delhi High Court sentencing Congress leader Sajjan Kumar to life imprisonment for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
“Phoolka ji wants to stay away from politics. He wants to focus on the battle for the 1984 victims,” a source in AAP told ThePrint.
Fight for 1984 riot victims
Phoolka has been at forefront fighting for the victims of 1984 and even resigned from his post as the leader of opposition in Punjab in July 2017 after he was told he couldn’t continue the legal battle while holding the post. He quit as a legislator in October last year.
Following his resignation as MLA, there were rumours of a rift between him and party chief Arvind Kejriwal.
When Phoolka last spoke to ThePrint, he said he would move to file a case against Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath for his alleged role in the riots. He claimed that the evidence against him was greater than against Kumar.
Calling the Congress “perpetrators” of the violence, he had earlier said he would resign from the AAP if it joined hands with the Congress.
Also read: Punjab AAP leader HS Phoolka resigns from assembly, likely to quit party too