Congress demands removal of Gujarat minister

New Delhi, Mar. 16 (ANI): A group of Congress MLAs from Gujarat met with President Pratibha Patil in New Delhi on Monday to demand immediate removal of Gujarat cabinet Minister for Higher Education Maya Kodnani.

Kodnani, who is the Women and Child Welfare Minister in the Narendra Modi's Government, is accused for having led a mob in the post-Godhra riots in 2002.

The delegation sought President's intervention in case the State government does not take any appropriate action against Kodnani.

"We have requested the President that if the Gujarat Government doesn't take any action then according to the Constitution, the President must force the Gujarat Government to take right action and remove her (Kodnani) from the minister's chair," Congress Chief, Gujarat, Siddharth Patel told reporters after meeting the President.

The MLA's further alleged that despite the Special Investigation Team (SIT) having declared Kodnani as an offender in an affidavit submitted to the Gujarat High Court, Modi Government has not removed her from the Cabinet.

Kodnani obtained an anticipatory bail from a lower court, which has now been challenged in the Gujarat High Court by the Special Investigation Team. (ANI)