Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who quit the Lok Sabha in the wake of the row over office of profit, appears to be taking abundant precaution to ensure she faces no legal challenge when she files her nomination in Rae Bareli Lok Sabha bye election, the formal process for which begins on Thursday.
Two of her personal staff, Additional Private Secretary SV Pillai and Officer on Special Duty Madhavan, who had been with the Gandhi household since the days of the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, were asked to go on leave and sent back to Home Ministry and PMO respectively where they belong.
Party sources said the two have been reverted to the Government since Gandhi was no longer the Chairperson of National Advisory Council, a Cabinet-rank post that entitled her to government secretarial staff.