Almost a month after he announced to step down as Punjab Vidhan Sabha member, Aam Aadmi Party leader and senior advocate Harvinder Singh Phoolka on Friday resigned expressing unhappiness over the Congress-led State Government’s alleged “failure” to initiate action against SAD patriarch and former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and retired DGP Sumedh Singh Saini in sacrilege incidents.
AAP’s Dakha MLA has sent his three-page long resignation as legislator of Punjab Vidhan Sabha to the Speaker through e-mail. However, the Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana Kanwar Pal Singh is expected to take a call on Phoolka’s resignation on Monday.
Phoolka, who was in New Delhi for a case related to 1984 anti-Sikh riots, visited the Election Commission of India office where he told that more than 45 days have passed “since the Congress Ministers promised in the Vidhan Sabha that action would be taken against Badal and the then state police chief Saini. But no action has come about so far. This is a betrayal for the people of Punjab”.
If the Speaker accepts his resignation, AAP’s strength in the Vidhan Sabha will drop to 19 MLAs, eight of whom have already formed a rebel group led by Sukhpal Singh Khaira. However, experts pointed that Phoolka’s resignation is too lengthy and explanatory to be accepted by the Speaker as per the House rules.
The rules say that the resignation by an MLA is to be in his handwriting, and should be just one sentence.
Phoolka, who is fighting 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases in courts at New Delhi, had been asking the State Government to initiate action against Badal and Saini in connection with the police firing on people protesting at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan against sacrilege incidents. On three occasions, he had said that he would resign if action is not initiated basis the findings of Justice (retired) Ranjit Singh Commission set up to probe into the incidents of sacrilege of all holy books, including Guru Granth Sahib.
According to the Commission’s report, Badal and Saini were “aware” of the proposed police action to disperse the protesters at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura using force. It held that the police opened fire in Behbal Kalan, where two people were killed, “without any warning and without taking permission from civil authorities”.
Phoolka had earlier resigned as the Leader of Opposition saying that he could not do justice with the post as he was fighting anti-Sikh riot cases.
In September, Phoolka had alleged that due procedure was not followed by the police before it opened fire on the protesters. He said that his resignation would put pressure on the State Government to act on findings of the Justice (Retd) Ranjit Singh Commission.