Chandigarh, September 3: H.S. Phoolka, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of politicizing the suffering of the victims of the 1984 Sikh genocide. He claims that instead of genuinely fighting for justice, AAP is using the victims’ pain for electoral advantage.
Phoolka stated in a media interaction that AAP’s recent protest regarding this issue exemplifies political hypocrisy. He specifically questioned the participation of AAP MLA Ram Singh Netaji in a condolence meeting for Sajjan Kumar, who was convicted for his role in the genocide.
He emphasized that the victims have waited decades for justice and their suffering should not be weaponized for political purposes. Phoolka asked, “How can those who truly stand with the victims express solidarity with individuals convicted of crimes against them?”
Recalling the history of compensation, Phoolka noted that after the BJP-led government came to power in 2014, then Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced an additional compensation of ₹5 lakh for each victim’s family. He mentioned that the central government directed states to distribute compensation as soon as possible, as victims have been waiting for nearly 30 years.
While several states have distributed compensation, delays have occurred since the AAP government took office in Delhi. Phoolka stated, “I have repeatedly requested the AAP government to distribute the compensation. The central government has already approved the funds, but I was told that it makes no sense to distribute it immediately and that it could be done closer to the Punjab elections.”
He revealed that he resigned from all party positions in September 2015 in protest against the delays. Subsequently, on November 1, 2015, the Delhi government distributed additional compensation at an event in Tilak Vihar.
Phoolka remarked, “The victims have already waited 30 years. Their suffering should never be viewed through the lens of electoral calculations.” He further added that his association with the BJP regarding justice for the 1984 victims spans nearly four decades.
He recalled serving as an advisor during the tenure of Madan Lal Khurana as Chief Minister of Delhi, where senior BJP leaders, including Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad, represented cases related to the genocide. Phoolka noted that it was during the tenures of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi that those responsible for the genocide received punishment.
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