Sonia present,but MPs absent

Congress sources said she had chosen to attend the House in the afternoon to ensure the presence and participation of party MPs. The ruling party had suffered an embarrassment only two days back when its MPs,including some first-term MPs,failed to show up in the House during Question Hour even though there were questions listed against their names.

The Congress president has often expressed concern about her party MPs lack of interest in Parliament proceedings and repeatedly asked them to take it seriously. Our chief whips have a tough task mobilising all of you on crucial occasions. This reflects poorly on us and does little justice to those who have voted us to represent them here, she had said at the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting last July. Her exhortations to her party MPs have apparently failed to move them.

Congress sources said that of late many instructions of the high command were not being followed.

The Congress chief,for instance,chose to fly by economy class in a commercial airliner last September to set an example to party leaders and MPs to follow the partys emphasis on austerity.

A few weeks later,three AICC general secretaries opted for a chartered flight to go to Chandigarh to attend Congress Legislature Party meeting after Assembly elections in Haryana. Many party MPs now argue that travelling by economy class was not practical for them as Parliament provided for business class air tickets only.