Lucknow, Nov 14 (IANS): Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will now step in to resolve the tension between the Samajwadi party and the Congress so that the INDIA bloc is not disturbed.

Both parties have been at war over seat-sharing in Madhya Pradesh, with SP President Akhilesh Yadav terming the Congress as ‘Chalu party’ and the latter accusing SP of ‘betrayal’.

“As soon as the ongoing Assembly polls are over, our leadership will reach out to Akhilesh Yadav and resolve the issues, if any. We will not let INDIA bloc derail at any cost. Members of the INDIA bloc should realise that the alliance was formed keeping in mind national interests, and it does not extend at the moment to state elections,” said a senior Congress leader.

The INDIA bloc has held three meetings so far, and no impression was conveyed that the alliance will extend to the state polls at none of these meetings,” the leader said.

“We have elections going on in five states, while SP is going on and on about the five seats they missed in Madhya Pradesh. It is both unfair and harsh,” he said.

Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai has also been stoking fire by continuously stating that his party will contest all 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh next year.

Surprisingly, Kharge and the party’s state in-charge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have not yet taken official note of the simmering tension between the two parties in UP.

On the other hand, the BJP has been highlighting the war of words between SP and Congress as an example of widening fissures in the INDIA bloc.