Addressing mediapersons here on Wednesday, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) spokesperson Arjun Modhwadia said the recent developments indicated that the 2002 riots were a “conspiracy of the BJP and the Modi government to win the assembly elections”.

He said that Kodnani, who is Minister of State for Women Empowerment, Child Development and Higher Education, has been provided with security guards and if they were contacted, she could be traced easily. “But the state government has not made any effort in this direction and hence the disappearance of the minister was nothing but a drama by the government,” he added.

The Congress leader said that while the government did not arrest any prime accused in connection with the riot cases, the Supreme Court-appointed SIT declared Kodnani an absconder on February 2

without making any effort to arrest her. “This is quite surprising,” he added.

“Her whereabouts could have been found just by questioning her security guards. But she was declared an absconder in a hurry just to enable her secure bail from the court,”

alleged Modhwadia.

Kodnani, meanwhile, did not attend the weekly state Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, said sources in the government. While they did not give the reason for her absence, officials in her office said she was on a tour. They refused to give her tour details.

Kodnani, a three-time MLA from Naroda constituency, had failed to appear before the SIT despite summons issued to her on January 29 and January 31, after which the Team declared her an absconder.