Chandigarh, Dec 20 (PTI) Congress MLA Navtej Singh Cheema on Monday slammed Punjab minister Rana Gurjeet Singh for levelling "false" allegations against state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Cheema asked Rana Gurjeet Singh not to question the “honesty” of Sidhu, stating the former cricketer has been working hard to strengthen the Congress in the state ahead of the Assembly elections.

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Cheema's statement has come a day after Rana called Sidhu a “political mercenary” and accused his of creating fissures in the party.

On the other hand, Cheema accused Rana of weakening the party in several Assembly constituencies in the Doaba region.

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Earlier, Rana had made slammed Sidhu for his remarks at a rally in Sultanpur Lodhi that “it was an end of road for Rajas and Ranas”.

Rana on Sunday had said, “Unlike Sidhu, I am a born Congressman and have not joined the party for the sole purpose to become chief minister (like a trader)."

The minister had also said that Sidhu was just a “political mercenary bereft of any principles or ideology”.

A tussle is going on between Cheema and Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjit Singh as Rana's son Rana Inder Partap Singh is eyeing to contest from Sultanpur Lodhi.

Navtej Cheema, who is a legislator from Sultanpur Lodhi, asked Rana Gurjeet to give his Kapurthala seat to his son for contesting the 2022 Assembly polls.

Navjot Sidhu on Saturday had backed Cheema's candidature for the upcoming polls.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)