When Sonia lost her cool

The Congress president Sonia Gandhi maintains a calm exterior and rarely displays her emotions. But the Lok Sabha on Friday witnessed one of those rare occasions when she showed her annoyance over an opposition member’s behaviour.

The Congress president Sonia Gandhi maintains a calm exterior and rarely displays her emotions. But the Lok Sabha on Friday witnessed one of those rare occasions when she showed her annoyance over an opposition member’s behaviour.

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As railway minister Mamataa Banerjee was presenting the rail budget, JD-U members — Monazir Hassan and Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘Lalan’' — interrupted her to know the status of projects in Bihar. She tried to convince them but failed. Irritated, Banerjee turned to Gandhi. The UPA chairperson promptly acknowledged and was seen asking the members to cool down.

But the members got enraged. A fuming Hassan was seen rushing towards the well. At this point, a visibly angry Gandhi nearly got up and pointed towards Hassan to take his seat. This was a rare gesture and virtually brought order to the house.