AAP former MLA Phoolka, lawyer for 1984 riots victims, joins BJP

NEW DELHI: Veteran advocate HS Phoolka, a former Aam Aadmi Party MP known for his decades-long courageous legal battle on behalf of victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, has joined bjp The party on Wednesday stepped up its outreach to Sikhs ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections early next year.Leader of the Opposition in the last term of the Punjab Assembly, when AAP had emerged as the second largest congressFulka harshly condemned the current government for alleged criminality and extortion, drug threats and rampant corruption. Only the BJP can “save” the border states, he said. Although Phulkar was not a traditional politician and was mainly focused on his legal practice, he enjoyed considerable goodwill among Sikhs, providing the PPP with a bridge to the Sikhs in Punjab.He recalled the killings of Sikhs in 1984 and praised the help of the top brass of the BJP, especially Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Madan Lal Khurana. He said it was a genocide, saying Congress was targeting Sikhs, not Hindus, and highlighted the help provided by several Hindus. He said he had long provided legal help to the PPP in riot cases and had now decided to join.