While the Gandhis are away, there is trouble brewing within the Congress. In the last week, at least three Congress leaders have showered praises on their party's biggest detractor - Narendra Modi.

While the Gandhis are away, there is trouble brewing within the Congress. In the last week, at least three Congress leaders have showered praises on their party's biggest detractor - Narendra Modi.

First, senior Congress leaders including Digvijaya Singh and Ghulam Nabi Azad praised PM Modi's handling of the Jammu and Kashmir floods.

"In Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre and the state have done good work," Singh said, adding, "I would also praise Modi for offering to help Pakistan- Occupied Kashmir," Singh told reporters on Thursday, reiterating what he had said in a tweet on Monday.

Commend the rescue by DMRF, Army, Police and Security Forces in J&K and also GOI and PM for prompt action and reaching out to people in POK. — digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) September 8, 2014

Congress leader in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad was also all praise for Modi. "I am happy that our Prime Minister has shown statesmanship by offering support to PoK," with Khurshid backing the two leaders saying the Congress would be supportive of anyone doing humanitarian work.

Soon after came the surprising remark from former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit, who was coerced by the BJP government to resign as Kerala CM, when she suggested that the BJP should be allowed to form government in New Delhi if they had the required strength.

Interestingly, these comments come at a time when both party president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi are out of the country, and internal differences between the young turks and the old guard of the party is already heating up. As the Times of India notes,

"The surprise softening on the saffron rival is being seen as a reflection of leadership vacuum in the party after its disastrous show in the Lok Sabha polls. The post-defeat scenario is scary for partymen given that Congress chief Sonia Gandhi is seen to be withdrawing from the centre-stage but without Rahul Gandhi having stepped forward to fill in the gap, a situation rife for internal chaos.

A report in Friday's Economic Times, quotes a Congress leader as saying that the Gandhis won't tolerate any leader trying to portray Rahul as a party to any dispute within the two factions.

"If some party leader, senior or junior, is agitated over some issues, it's better to raise it internally and, if necessary, with the top-most leadership. But if some leaders are in a hurry to make a public show of their projected grievances before the Gandhis return to Delhi and indulge in counter mud-slinging, then it will be the last such show,"the party source told ET.

Earlier this month, party leader and former Union minister Beni Prasad Verma slammed Digvijaya Singh and Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan for what he termed were anti-Rahul remarks', asking the top leadership to take action against the two.

"These leaders who are now trying to blame Rahul or Sonia Gandhi for the poor performance of Congress in the recent elections, had already done much damage to the organisation in the past. They must be sidelined and if they continued with their sinister plan to defame the Party leadership through media than they should be removed from the party on disciplinary ground," Prasad was quoted as saying.

But the on-going feud, when the Congress is down at its worst, is obviously something the Gandhis cannot take lightly given that assembly polls are due next month and the party would want to put up a united front after its humiliating 44-seat victory in the Lok Sabha polls.