Delhi polls may expose BJP-Congress jugalbandi: Kejriwal after Rahul Gandhi's jibe

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal engaged in fresh salvo ahead of the upcoming Delhi Assembly election on Tuesday.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday claimed that the upcoming Delhi Assembly election could reveal a "hidden alliance" between the BJP and Congress. Taking to social media platform X, Kejriwal reacted to criticisms from both parties.

Reposting a tweet by Amit Malviya, BJP’s National Information & Technology Department head, Kejriwal wrote in Hindi: "...I said just one line about Rahul Gandhi, and the BJP is responding. Look at how much it hurts them. Perhaps this Delhi election will uncover the jugalbandi (partnership) that has existed between the BJP and Congress for years."

The exchange began after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's rally in Delhi's Seelampur area on Monday. Gandhi criticised both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kejriwal, accusing them of making false promises and claiming they shared similar strategies. He alleged that neither leader was interested in empowering backward classes, Dalits, tribals, or minorities.

Gandhi praised the achievements of the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress government, asserting that neither Kejriwal nor the BJP could match the Congress' governance record. He later posted on X: "Just like Modi Ji spins false promises and propaganda, Kejriwal Ji does the same. There is no difference!"

Following Gandhi's rally, Kejriwal responded on X, saying: "Today, Rahul Gandhi came to Delhi and criticised me heavily. But I won’t comment on his remarks. His fight is to save the Congress; my fight is to save the country."

Amit Malviya reacted to Kejriwal's post, saying: "Forget about saving the country; focus on saving your New Delhi seat first."

The Congress rally marked the party’s aggressive entry into the Delhi election campaign. Once allies during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the AAP and Congress have now gone separate ways for the Assembly polls after their alliance ended in failure, with the BJP securing all seven Delhi Lok Sabha seats.

As the Delhi Assembly elections approach, the three major players—AAP, BJP, and Congress—continue their fierce battle, targeting each other on issues like corruption, free welfare schemes, and governance.

(With IANS inputs.)