Sonia with a bow and arrow presented to her by the Lav-Kush Ramlila Committee in Delhi. (PTI)

New Delhi, Oct. 15: Tehelka-stung George Fernandes, who ignored a request by the foreign secretary to put off a convention on the restoration of democracy in Myanmar, has ensured that a portrait of Congress president Sonia Gandhi placed at the venue is removed.

This morning, when the two-day convention began at the Speaker?s Hall of the Constitution Club in the capital, some delegates noticed a portrait of Sonia had been placed right next to that of Rajendra Prasad. B.R. Ambedkar?s portrait, which used to be next to that of the first President, had been moved to another wall.

Four portraits are usually placed in the Speaker?s Hall. Those of the incumbent President and Prime Minister are on one side. The other side has portraits of Prasad, the Speaker of the first Constituent Assembly, and Ambedkar, who framed the Constitution.

Sources close to Fernandes insisted there is no rationale for placing Sonia?s picture there. ?She is neither the President nor the Prime Minister. She was also not a member of the Constituent Assembly,? said a Fernandes supporter.

Delegates protested and demanded that Ambedkar?s portrait be put back next to Prasad?s, but the staff refused to listen.

The delegates suggested that if Sonia was there as the chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee?s portrait should also be put up as he heads the National Democratic Alliance.

Some delegates brought down Sonia?s portrait during the lunch break and put back Ambedkar?s in the place from where it was removed.

?What is the reason? What is this great Nehru family all about, I don?t understand. Is this country the fiefdom of one family?? asked Fernandes.

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, under whose jurisdiction the Speaker?s Hall falls, maintained he had no idea of the incident.

Chatterjee, who is in Calcutta, said on phone: ?This is all news. I spoke to the (Lok Sabha) secretary-general a while ago and he did not mention anything. Who has put up Sonia Gandhi?s portrait and taken out Ambedkar?s, I don?t know. It is all unauthorised.?

The Speaker?s office said the staff has denied that any portrait was removed. ?We are looking into it,? an official said.

After the government disbanded the Phukan Commission probing the Tehelka sting operation and ordered a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation, the former defence minister moved to set up an anti-Sonia front that included the former Prime Minister, Chandra Shekhar, and the maverick Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy.