"We all felt her absence because whenever there is crisis, her presence and direction has always given us a way out," Moily said on a day when Sonia Gandhi returned to the capital early on Thursday morning from abroad where she underwent surgery a month ago for an undisclosed ailment.

The minister was asked by reporters on the sidelines of a conference whether the party and the government had felt Gandhi's absence during the recent Anna Hazare agitation.

Asked whether things will be back on track now that Gandhi has returned, Moily said, "One thing I can say that political will of our Congress party is demonstrated with the will power of Soniaji as a leader."

He further said that "I don't refer to Anna Hazare or somebody, I am not speaking in exclusion or in that context but I can definitely tell you that Soniaji has given us an excellent leadership and you know that she can always give us a sense of direction in terms of any crisis.

"She is a person not only for the peacetime but also for the crisis. That is the quality of her leadership."