Rahul's view is that this is not the time to fight and rake up controversies, a party source said.
Is there any difference of opinion between Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi? It appears so. From what party sources say, the mother and son are divided over how to deal with Sanjay Nirupam.
The Mumbai Congress president had recently courted controversy when a defamatory article against the Nehru-Gandhi family appeared in the party magazine, Congress Darshan. Nirupam, who is the editor of the magazine, had defended himself, saying that it was written by a guest columnist.
Since then, the clamour for his ouster has been getting louder and louder within the party. But party sources tell dna that Rahul is 'okay' with it and is even willing to give Nirupam a second chance to lead the Mumbai unit of the party.
Rahul's view is that this is not the time to fight and rake up controversies, a party source said. Rahul's logic is that if Nirupam has apologised and feels sorry for what he did, the party should go ahead and put up a united front, especially when the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections are round the corner.
However, Sonia is quite upset with the remarks against her father in the article. Her father was referred to as a fascist and her mother-in-law's marriage was troubled, the article had mentioned. It also held Nehru responsible for the conflicts in Kashmir, China and Tibet.
"Sonia does not want to see or hear any negative image or story about the Nehru family, which had contributed to the freedom struggle and nation-building," a source said.
The All India Congress Committee's disciplinary panel, headed by former defence minister AK Antony, wants action against Nirupam. Sushilkumar Shinde and Motilal Vohra are the other two members in the committee. All three leader are loyal to Sonia. This committee has issued a notice to Nirupam, seeking explanation over the issue.
Several other leaders like AICC general secretary Gurudas Kamat, former Union minister Milind Deora and Kripashankar Singh also favour the ouster of Nirupam. Their argument is that Nirupam has done a grave mistake and is encouraging factionalism within the party.
On the contrary, Mohan Prakash, the party observer for Maharashtra, who is close to Rahul, wants to bury the controversy and wants to extend the term of Nirupam.
While there's a possibility of Nirupam stepping down, each faction within the party are pitching for its own candidates. The names doing the rounds now are Milind Deora, MLC Bhai Jagtap, Amarjit Singh Manhas and former MLA Rajhans Singh.
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