Punjab minister Rana Gurjit Singh’s son to contest assembly polls as independent from Sultanpur Lodhi

JALANDHAR: Punjab power minister Rana Gurjit Singh’s son Rana Inder Partap Singh has announced to contest as independent candidate from Sultanpur Lodhi while levelling serious allegations against sitting MLA and Congress candidate Navtej Singh Cheema. Rana junior has said that he has decided to contest to save Congress in the constituency.
Rana Inder Partap, who has been working in the constituency for last around two months, had applied for Congress ticket also but party preferred to bet on Cheema once again.“Had I not come to the constituency, most of our workers and supporters would have joined Shiromani Akali Dal as they were facing suffocation. There have been several complaints of repression and corruption in the constituency,” he said while speaking to TOI as he justified his decision to contest independently.
“Even funds spent here in connection with 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak were not spared and these were siphoned off at large scale,” he alleged.
During his canvassing in the constituency, Rana Inder Partap has been openly targeting Cheema stating that people were being implicated in false cases, corruption was massive in the constituency. The latter has been saying that Ranas were out to damage the party in the constituency. However, his complaints to the party high command did not work.
“Most of the Block Samiti members, including its chairman, and sarpanches have already joined me and other prominent persons and local Congress leaders and workers have also extended their support to me. There has been massive corruption in the constituency at all levels. Police was used more for repression and corruption. I can’t leave the people at the mercy of the same person and machinery which created so much fear among them,” Rana Inder Partap said on Monday.
Minister Rana Gurjit Singh represents Kapurthala in the state assembly and Sultanpur Lodhi is neighbouring constituency.