New Delhi: Breaking his ranks with the Aam Aadmi Party, senior party leader H.S. Phoolka, a leading campaigner for the rights of the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, on Saturday decided to not vote for Congress-led Opposition candidate Meira Kumar in the President’s election on Monday.

Mr Phoolka, who recently quit as Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly to continue his campaign for the anti-Sikh riot victims, also decided not to vote for the NDA’s candidate Ram Nath Kovind and said he will abstain from voting.

“I have nothing against Meira Kumar, but she is a Congress candidate and I cannot vote for a Congress candidate. Jagdish Tytler, Kamal Nath and Sajjan Kumar are still prominent leaders (of Congress) and they were closely associated with the 1984 carnage issue.”

“My voting for Congress would be taken as if the doings of the Congress are washed away or the people have pardoned them,” Mr Phoolka said. 

The AAP has decided to support Meira Kumar in the presidential election. Mr Phoolka also said that he had informed the AAP’s top leadership in Delhi about his decision. He, however, added “I have not yet got any response from the party high command.”