“Ah, I don’t have one,” Congress President Sonia Gandhi remarked, almost blushing, on Friday when Hindustan Times editorial advisor Vir Sanghvi mistakenly referred to her non-existing daughter-in-law as one of her family members.

Referring to her remark that she had discussed her decision to step down as MP on the controversial office of profit issue, Sanghvi asked her if she had talked only to her son, daughter and ‘daughter-in-law’ before the move.

Gandhi, who gestured as if she was feeling sad about it, was quick to respond: “Ah, I don't have one.” And she looked at her MP son Rahul Gandhi, who was seated in the audience (at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit). The entire audience broke into laughter.

Rahul, 37, who has been appointed Congress general secretary in charge of youth wing of the party, is a bachelor.

Sonia said she herself wanted to quit the Lok Sabha when a controversy erupted over parliamentarians holding offices of profit. “I did not want the government in an embarrassing situation. The government was in an awkward situation... I did not want the government to issue an ordinance to save my membership,” she said replying to a question about her decision to quit her Lok Sabha membership from Rae Bareli.