In what BJP insiders termed his “growing closeness to the party” senior advocate and former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab legislator H.S. Phoolka will be felicitated by senior BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, and veteran Delhi BJP leader Vijay Goel, on Sunday.
The ceremony, which will take place at Mr. Goel’s residence on 10 Ashoka Road, and will also see the felicitation of Shayara Bano who will be honoured for being “the face of the fight against triple talaq.” Ms. Bano had approached the Supreme Court seeking a ban on the practise citing her fundamental rights.
Prior to resignation
Mr. Phoolka’s first meeting with Mr. Goel, according to sources, was not public and is said to have taken place prior to his resignation from the AAP which he, at a press conference to announce his resignation from it on January 4, had questioned for its decision to “transform itself into a political party from a movement”.
Asked whether this public display of his camaraderie with Mr. Goel — the first instance of which was his visit to his residence a fortnight ago to extend birthday greetings in person on January 5 — was an indication of the “growing closeness” as being interpreted by BJP insiders, Mr. Phoolka, the AAP’s MLA from Dakha in Punjab, answered in the negative.
“I suggest that too much not be read into this; it is a ceremony aimed at felicitating one by a friend...what reason is there for one not to honour such an invite? I have already said that I will not be contesting any election[s],” Mr. Phoolka told The Hindu over the phone from Amritsar.
“I have, today, sought blessings at the Golden Temple and begun putting in motion my plans to form a movement which I have announced...Let me clarify again that I do not wish to contest any election[s] including the Lok Sabha, the [Punjab] Assembly or the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee [SGPC] elections,” he said further.
Converting an anti-corruption movement into a political party in 2012, Mr. Phoolka had said in reference to the transformation of the Team Anna movement into the AAP, “was wrong”; adding that he would float his own “non-political outfit” which will seek to battle the drug epidemic in Punjab in addition to “depoliticising” the SGPC.
When asked whether he agreed with the interpretation of sources from within his own party regarding Mr. Phoolka’s “growing closeness” with him, Mr. Goel, who had in reference to his resignation from the AAP said “Better late than never” also chose to answer in the negative.
“All I can say is that Mr. Phoolka, who is an old friend, deserved to be felicitated for the lone, but successful, battle which he waged for the Sikhs and so does Ms. Bano,” the Union Minister told The Hindu .
Sources from the BJP, however, continued to claim that the party’s doors were open to the legal veteran and it was “up to him to announce whether or not he was in favour of, or had decided to, join the BJP.”
