Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi has ordered its party leaders to contribute at least 20% of their salary for one year to fight with ‘drought’ and ‘price rise’.

In addition of pay cuts, MLAs, MPs and salaried functionaries have been asked to travel economically, live simply and avoid flamboyance.

The whole process occurred during the Congress Working Committee meeting on Wednesday.

Despite the facts that pay cuts and austerity are not enough, the CWC resolution, read out by Janardan Dwivedi, pointed to its spirit, “The CWC has called upon the party and the government to observe austerity measures to reflect our concern and sensitivity... it will reflect our party's and government's solidarity with those who are facing the brunt of the drought situation.”

A clear message was delivered by Sonia Gandhi, ahead of polls in states like Maharashtra and Haryana.

The Sonia imprint on the move was obvious as, sources said, she told the CWC, "The way we conduct ourselves in our private and public life must reflect our concerns for the less fortunate."

At the meeting, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said ministers should not spend much on making changes to their offices as per ‘Vastu’ or to reflect change in status or a moving up the hierarchy.