Minister quits over Patil remarks

Amin Khan has submitted his resignation to Governor Shivraj Patil on Thursday. His statement about the President is regretable and should not have been made, Gehlot said in New Delhi.

Sources in the Chief Ministers Office on Thursday stated that Gehlot was disappointed with the remarks and after discussing the issue with the party high command in Delhi,directed Khan to tender his resignation late on Wednesday night.

Addressing a meeting of Congress workers in Pali on Tuesday evening,Khan had reportedly stated,President Pratibha Patil would cook food and do the dishes in Indira Gandhis house in 1977 and she never asked for anything in return. So she was finally rewarded by the Congress by being made the President.

However,when contacted,Khan insisted he was misquoted and said he meant no disrespect to the President. I only wanted to explain to the Congress workers that one should remain loyal to the party. I meant to tell the workers that the President was a dedicated Congress worker, he said.

Khans statement caused a furore in the state on Wednesday with the BJP demanding his resignation. State BJP president Arun Chaturvedi maintained that Khans comments were insulting to the President.