Sibal withdraws tweet after Rahul clarifies BJP collusion remark personally

Kapil Sibal and 22 other party leaders who have written to Sonia Gandhi seeking a 'full-time' leadership.

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Monday withdrew his tweet hitting out at Rahul Gandhi and said the former party chief had informed him personally that he had never made the "colluding with the BJP" remark.

Sibal is among the 23 party leaders who have written to Sonia Gandhi seeking "full-time" leadership that is active in the field and "visible" in party offices, dissolution of powers to state units and revamping the Congress Working Committee (CWC) in line with the party constitution among other changes.

As the CWC meeting was underway on Monday and it was reported that Rahul Gandhi had lashed out at the letter writers, Sibal tweeted, "Rahul says 'we are colluding with BJP'. Succeeded in Rajasthan High Court defending the Congress Party. Defending party in Manipur to bring down BJP government.

"Last 30 years have never made a statement in favour of BJP on any issue. Yet 'we are colluding with the BJP'!"

Sibal said a little later that he was withdrawing the tweet.

"Was informed by Rahul Gandhi personally that he never said what was attributed to him. I therefore withdraw my tweet."

He then deleted his earlier tweet hitting out at Gandhi.

Tagging Sibal's earlier tweet, Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also tweeted, saying Rahul Gandhi hasn't said a word of this nature nor alluded to it.

"Please don't be mislead by false media discourse or misinformation being spread. But yes, we all need to work together in fighting the draconian Modi rule rather then fighting & hurting each other and the Congress," Surjewala said.