Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu landed in a controversy on Friday after his estranged sister, Suman Toor, alleged that the Congress leader abandoned their aged mother after their father passed away in 1986.
During a press conference in Chandigarh, Toor, who lives in the US, accused Sidhu of deserting their mother "for the sake of money." She called the Congress leader "a cruel person."
She claimed that they faced tough times and her mother was in hospital for four months before her death. She said she has documentary evidence to substantiate her claims.
Toor alleged that Sidhu cut ties with the family for property, as her father had left assets including a house, land and pension. Sidhu drove her and their mother away to grab the property, she alleged.
She said their mother died as a destitute woman at Delhi railway station in 1989.
Toor said Sidhu's claim that his parents were separated when he was a child is a lie, and sought to know why he was lying about the relationship of his parents.
She said she decided to address a press conference after the Congress leader refused to meet her despite several attempts. "I want justice for her mother," she said.
The allegations against Sidhu come even as the Congress is preparing for the upcoming assembly elections in Punjab, and Sidhu is leading the party's campaign.
Reacting to the allegations, Sidhu's wife Navjot Kaur said she does not know Toor. "His (Sidhu's) father had two daughters with his first wife. I don't know them," she was quoted as saying.