A crucial debate is on in the Lok Sabha, opposition leaders are hitting the government hard and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is livid. She, however, reads a chit she has just got and suddenly she is cool again. What was the message? “Keep cool”. Who sent it? Her son Rahul Gandhi.

It was during 12.15 – 12.30 pm on Thursday in the Lok Sabha when the debate on the Dantewada massacre had just began. The first speaker, BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, alleged that UPA 1 had compromised with the terrorism. In Andhra Pradesh, the Congress won the assembly elections because it went with Maoists. From the press gallery, you could see Sonia was livid.

Rahul Gandhi, who was seated in the last row of the treasury benches, also noticed that his mother was losing temper. So at once he sent a chit, saying 'keep cool' – it could be read by journalists from the first-floor press gallery. As she read the message, Sonia turned to Rahul, smiled and nodded.

The chit certainly provided the Congress chief with some relief that her party leaders seating close by could not deliver. As Sinha criticised the government, she started missing Manmohan Singh and Pranab Mukherjee. She once turned back and whispered to Ghulam Nabi Azad. Then she was irritated and wanted to say something to Pawan Kumar Bansal, the parliamentary affairs minister, who could not quickly grasp what Sonia wanted.

Leaders of Congress allies were all there but did not counter Sinha. Finally, Sonia turned and gave a signal to the party's 'shouting brigade' and soon the house plunged into din, only to be adjourned for half an hour.