H S Phoolka to be Leader of Oppn in Punjab

Team Udayavani, Mar 16, 2017, 10:56 AM IST

New Delhi: Senior Supreme Court advocate H S Phoolka will be the leader of opposition in Punjab Assembly with Aam Aadmi Party MLAs electing him as leader of the legislature party.

In a meeting today at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence here, attended by newly elected party MLAs from Punjab, Phoolka was elected as the leader of the AAP legislature party.

The MLAs also discussed the reasons behind AAP’s “disappointing” performance in the state, where the pollsters had predicted a sweep by it.

The AAP came a distant second in the Punjab assembly polls winning 20 seats, while Congress got 77 seats. The SAD-BJP alliance bagged just 18 seats in the 117-member Assembly.

62-year-old Phoolka, known for fighting cases of 1984 anti-Sikh riots victims, was the only prominent party leader to have won the polls in Punjab.

He had resigned from all posts of AAP in September 2015 to focus on providing justice to 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims.

Sukhpal Singh Khaira was appointed party’s chief whip in Punjab Assembly.

“We will fight for the rights of the people in Punjab in the assembly as well on the streets and highlight the plight of farmers,” Phoolka said after being chosen as the leader of the AAP legislature party.