H S Phoolka (second from left) with other AAP leaders on Friday. (Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh) H S Phoolka (second from left) with other AAP leaders on Friday. (Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh)

DAYS AFTER senior AAP leader and Supreme Court lawyer HS Phoolka skipped the party’s farmers’ rally at Baghapurana in Moga and said there “some internal issues within the AAP family,” it was an all-Phoolka show at party’s Chhapar political conference Friday.

Chhapar falls in Dakha constituency from where Phoolka has been announced as AAP candidate for the Assembly polls in 2017. Phoolka was projected as the AAP’s most prominent Sikh face at the Chappar rally.

Phoolka had personally communicated to Kejriwal his concern regarding the “ill-treatment” meted out to local volunteers during Kejriwal’s four-day visit to Ludhiana and had chosen to give Moga rally a miss in protest. He had said the issue “will be sorted out like family.”

On Friday, party leaders including co-observer Jarnail Singh, MP Sadhu Singh, women’s wing chief Baljinder Kaur, youth wing chief Harjot Singh Bains and even the party’s Punjab affairs in-charge from Delhi Sanjay Singh campaigned for Phoolka.

In what clearly seemed like an effort to make Phoolka feel that he is an inseparable part of the party and especially a Sikh face that will boost party’s chances of winning Punjab polls, the AAP pandal was flooded with solo cut-outs of Phoolka with slogan ‘Lokan Di Pukaar, Sardar Phoolka Iss Vaar’. However, on party hoardings importance was given to crowd puller Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann. However, Mann was not present at the rally.

Will continue journey to get justice for 1984 riot victims

Addressing the crowd, Phoolka reaffirmed his mission to get justice for the 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims and said he “will not stop till justice is not given to each and every family that lost someone in the massacre.”

Only a Punjabi will be Chief Minister

Meanwhile, party’s Punjab affairs in-charge Sanjay Singh, also addressed the rally. He said that ‘in no case will Delhi leaders contest or be projected as CM face by AAP.’

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