Top leaders of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh have spoken out against each other

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has referred the issue of the public spat involving party leader Digvijaya Singh and a Madhya Pradesh minister to the party's central disciplinary committee, a senior leader said on Sunday.

The move comes after Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath met with Sonia Gandhi in Delhi on Saturday. Prior to it, Congress General Secretary in-charge of Madhya Pradesh Deepak Babariya submitted his report to the party chief over the infighting in the state unit, and the remarks made by Congress leaders in public.

"The Congress's disciplinary committee chairman AK Antony is expected to come up with his report on the matter by next week," a senior party leader said.

Madhya Pradesh Forest Minister Umang Singhar, said to be close to senior party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, recently criticised former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh and accused him of running the state government from behind the curtains. He also called Mr Singh a "blackmailer".

On whether action would be taken against Mr Singhar, the party leader said it depends on how Mr Antony views the feud and draws a conclusion.

Mr Singh earlier linked Mr Singhar's remarks to his allegations associating BJP and Bajrang Dal leaders with Pakistan's spy agency ISI.

The 72-year-old Rajya Sabha member also met with Sonia Gandhi in Delhi last week and complained to her about Mr Singhar.

Top leaders of the Madhya Pradesh Congress have of late been going public against each other. There is a tussle over the post of party president in the state. Chief Minister Kamal Nath holds the post of the state unit president, which senior party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia is keen to wrest.

Mr Scindia earlier lost the chief ministerial race to Kamal Nath narrowly when the Congress came to power in the state in December last year after 15 years.