New Delhi: A war of words has ensued between Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi chief minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal over the formation of a possible alliance between the two parties ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2019. 

On Tuesday, Rahul took to Twitter to take a jibe at Kejriwal by accusing him of a “U-turn”.

“An alliance between the Congress & AAP in Delhi would mean the rout of the BJP. The Congress is willing to give up 4 Delhi seats to the AAP to ensure this. But, Mr Kejriwal has done yet another U-turn! Our doors are still open, but the clock is running out,” the Congress president Tweeted. 

Replying to his Tweet, Kejriwal also retorted by saying, “What U-turn? The talks are still on. However, your tweet shows that you are not keen on forming an alliance and it is just a mere show off. I am sad that you are indulging in rhetoric. Today it is important to save the country from the danger of the Modi-Shah duo. It’s unfortunate that you are helping Modiji by dividing anti-BJP votes in UP and other states.”

The talks for an alliance between the AAP and the Congress have been going on for months but has always hit a roadblock following strong resistance from Congress leaders in Delhi, especially from its chief Sheila Dikshit.

If an alliance is not formed, BJP would feel buoyant. The ruling party has recently conducted a “fresh survey” to assess probable candidates for Delhi. A source said, according to reports, “The national leadership is overseeing the entire exercise after the previous list submitted to it by the Delhi BJP election committee was found to be problematic."

Also read: Sheila Dikshit drops a bomb on seat-sharing, AAP drops dead

On March 5, Dikshit rubbished all possibilities of an alliance with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi saying that a unanimous decision was taken in the matter. 

In February, Kejriwal accused Rahul of turning down his overtures of an alliance. “Hamare man mein desh ko leke bahut jyada chinta hai... Usi wajah se hum lalayit hain. Unhone lagbhag mana kar diya hai." (We are extremely worried about the country which is why we are so eager for an alliance. They (Congress) have refused more or less.)

Also read: Congress subtracts Arvind Kejriwal from 2019 Game of Thrones

AAP has also been non-negotiable with their demands. Though Rahul Gandhi made a four-seat "offer" in Delhi, AAP demanded that the alliance should be extended to Haryana and Punjab. Kejriwal, according to reports, said that he would need the alliance to win the seven seats in Delhi, however, will need their support to defeat the BJP in Punjab and Haryana. 

The AAP has already formed an alliance with Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) in Haryana but said that it is willing to negotiate if Congress extends support. AAP is seeking an alliance on 10 seats in Haryana.