The Bihar Congress is facing an 'insider-outsider' tussle while acting state chief Kaukab Quadri struggles to exercise control on the party unit.

Quadri, who had gone to thank Rahul Gandhi for elevating him as state party chief, is at the receiving end from party MLAs for advising former party president Ashok Choudhary to do ' prayashchit' (repentance) for his follies.

'Quadri is a stop-gap arrangement. He was invisible for the last two years. Why should Ashok Choudhary repent when the party grew during his tenure,' Congress MLC Dilip Choudhary asked. 'Quadri is a working president with the blessings of C.P. Joshi and should not display haste and arrogance.' However, Choudhary's followers' actual target is former Union minister Akhilesh Singh, tipped to be the party's next state unit chief.

Choudhary had praised chief minister Nitish Kumar after he kicked off his campaign against dowry and child marriages. 'There are some leaders who are in the Congress but work for the JDU,' said Akhilesh Singh.

But Congress MLC Ramchandra Bharati retorted saying: 'Akhilesh is not even a genuine Congressman. He should stop lecturing us.'

The growing unrest in the party is being attributed to Quadri being made acting chief. 'He is a small fry. He has never won an election. At least, Choudhary was a former minister and the son of a well-known Congressman,' said a senior party leader, recalling that only one of 27 MLAs were present when Qaudri took over at Sadaquat Ashram. 'Many Congress workers are asking 'Quadri who?' Senior leaders of the party hardly recognise his existence.'

State Congress leaders blame the party's central leadership and state in-charge C.P. Joshi for the chaos. 'Quadri was involved in dissident activities during Choudhary's tenure,' said a Congress MLA. 'Making him president sends the message that dissent is encouraged. The party should have picked a senior leader, even if as a stop-gap arrangement. Sadanad Singh or Ramdev Rai should have been made state party chief.'

The Congress, a major force in Bihar till the mid-1990s, has become a minor player now, relying on the RJD or JDU to win seats. But the major problem with the party is it does not have a leader recognised by all. Jagannath Mishra was perhaps the last leader with a statewide appeal. Now the party is mooting the idea of making an outsider state chief. 'If it must pick an outsider, it should find one of political stature and not someone like Akhilesh who has lost two consecutive elections,' said a senior party leader.