H S Phoolka announces plan to join Akali Dal ahead of membership drive

Phoolka’s announcement follows Akal Takht Sahib Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh’s call on December 2 to reorganise the SAD. A seven-member interim committee chaired by SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami has been set up to oversee the membership drive for six months, after which a delegate meeting will elect the party’s new president.

Phoolka urged the SAD executive committee to officially appoint the interim committee, granting it full authority over the drive. “The decisions of Akal Takht have come as a new hope for those wanting to revive the Akali Dal. I appeal to all volunteers to strengthen the party, whether they are still within or have left it,” he said.

Known for leading a long legal battle for justice for 1984 anti-Sikh riots victims, Phoolka has had a storied political career. After joining AAP in 2013, he unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Ludhiana but won the Dakha assembly seat in 2017. He served as leader of the opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha before resigning in 2018 over the perceived inaction of the Ranjit Singh Commission in desecration cases.

Meanwhile, Gurpartap Singh Wadala, convenor of the Akali Dal Sudhar Lehar (a rebel faction), announced that the group would disband on Monday in response to Akal Takht’s call for unity.

The seven-member committee formed by the Jathedar includes Dhami, former SGPC president Kirpal Singh Badungar, MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali, and other prominent leaders. However, the SAD executive committee is yet to formalise the appointment, delaying the official launch of the membership drive.

Phoolka added, “I joined AAP by taking membership online, and I will join SAD the same way, to work as a sewadar.”