Sanjay Nirupam urges old guard of Congress to fall in line

Amidst report of friction between the old guard of Congress and the new turks, because of the party's slump to a historic low in the last election, senior leader Sanjay Nirupam has now spoken out on the issue. 

Nirupam said that in many state units, the president of the unit was not getting a free hand to run the party owing to obstruction from the old guard. 

According to the Mumbai Congress chief, it is the young turks that have to finally drive forward the party and hence the old leadership shouldn't be an impediment to their growth. 

In states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab, Congress has promoted relatively young leadership to the top echelons which has led to much heartburn among its older leaders. But, according to Nirupam, this is only natural and the likes of Ajay Maken, Sachin Pilot and Pratap Bajwa deserve their time in the sun for their hardwork over the years. 

Nirupam was quoted as saying, "The tussle is a matter of concern among the Congress rank and file nationally. It has to end". 

The larger subtext of infighting between the party leaders is that many of the old guard are not comfortable with Rahul Gandhi as the head of the party. Hence many of the younger ones, considered proteges of Congress VP, are facing stern opposition. There has been a lot of speculation about when Rahul Gandhi will formally take over the mantle of the party, but many believe that the simmering dissent has delayed his coronation. 

Nirupam though believes that it is high time that Congress got its act together to fight against BJP.