Sonia Gandhi's flying economy now. So are her ministers, including seniors like Pranab Mukherjie. Austerity is the buzzword in the Congress for now.

But here's where the Congress draws the line. A Rs 350-crore statue of Shivaji off Marine Drive in Mumbai is not going to be scrapped. Not at a time when Maharashtra's getting ready to vote for its next government.

Current Chief Minister Ashok Chavan says: "Let me make it very clear, austerity has nothing to do with government's policy and programs. It is expenditure by public representatives."

But there's opposition on the internet, and on Mumbai's streets. "Instead of building something new why not restore the structures built in Shivaji's lifetime which are in such a mess?" counters activist Nayana Kathpalia.

The austerity drive began after media reports that two Union ministers, S M Krishna and Shashi Tharoor, were staying in five-star hotels because their government accommodation was not ready. Both ministers were footing their own bills, but Sonia Gandhi reportedly expressed her displeasure about this sending out the wrong message at a time when price rise and drought are serious worries for her government.

Since then, ministers have been asked to fly economy class and cut down on their official expenditure.