Chandigarh: Senior advocate and former AAP MLA H S Phoolka’s entry into the BJP on Wednesday triggered sharp reactions from both the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress in Punjab, with leaders questioning his political credibility and timing.Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, reacting to the development, said leaders who abandon their mandate midway often struggle to regain public trust. Referring to Phoolka’s resignation as Leader of Opposition and later as Dakha MLA, Mann said, “I have not seen a leader who quits midway after being elected by the voters win again. Such a move is not good for democracy.”Phoolka had joined AAP in 2014 after earning prominence for his legal battle for victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He lost the Ludhiana Lok Sabha election that year, but won the Dakha Assembly seat in 2017 and was later appointed Leader of Opposition. He resigned from the post and quit AAP in 2019.After joining the BJP, Phoolka cited concerns over Punjab’s law and order and environmental crisis. In recent years, he has also been associated with campaigns on water conservation, organic farming and sustainable agriculture, including advocacy of the ASR method for paddy cultivation.The Punjab Congress also attacked the move, with party spokesperson Arshpreet Khadial accusing Phoolka of double standards and questioning how he could join a party he had earlier criticised. He also said the BJP should clarify its stand on the allegations Phoolka had made against it in the past.Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring described Phoolka joining the BJP as “symbiotic opportunism” of both, saying it would not have any impact on Punjab beyond the day’s headlines.“This also reflects on the extreme desperation of the BJP to induct people from outside to contest elections in Punjab,” Warring said, adding that a party aspiring to form the govt on its own should not have to depend so heavily on outsiders.He pointed out that several prominent faces in Punjab BJP had come from other parties and said Phoolka’s earlier remarks about the BJP were still fresh in public memory. Warring also referred to the heavy losses to the standing wheat crop due to unseasonal rain and strong winds, and demanded an immediate time-bound survey of the damage and compensation for affected farmers.Phoolka’s move is likely to add a fresh political dimension to opposition politics in Punjab ahead of the next electoral cycle.
