Firebrand leader who rose swiftly till downfall

From her first election as a corporator in Ahmedabad,it took her 12 years to become a minister. Dr Kodnani,now 53,resigned as minister after her arrest in 2009.

Educated in a Gujarati-medium school founded and run by her father in Deesa,she joined Rashtriya Sevika Samiti,the RSS women’s wing,around the time she entered Baroda Medical College from where she got an MBBS followed by a diploma in gynaecology and obstetrics.

Some 20 years ago,she moved to Ahmedabad and set up the Shivam Maternity Hospital in Kubernagar in Naroda,which has a sizeable Sindhi population. In 1995,the BJP fielded her in the Ahmedabad civic elections from Saijpur ward. The BJP swept the polls and she was made deputy chairperson of the civic health committee and later elevated as chairman of the standing committee,the first woman to make that post.

Her skills as an orator boosted her popularity among Sangh leaders,including L K Advani who mentored her. She had been taking up her community’s cause since her AMC days,leading angry protests over issues such as temple demolitions and removal of illegally built shops in areas dominated by her community.

In 1998,Kodnani was elected BJP MLA from Naroda constituency,posting a landslide victory by 75,000 votes. She was by then general secretary of the Gujarat Pradesh BJP Mahila Morcha and was later appointed chief of that unit from 1998 to 2000. From 2000 to 2005,she was the president of the Ahmedabad city BJP,a rare achievement for a woman.

It was during this stint that the massacre took place in Naroda Patiya. The charges against her include instigating the mob to kill,distributing swords and even firing from a pistol. In court,her defence was that she had been attending the Assembly session during the first half of that day in 2002,but 11 witnesses testified against her.

In December 2002,contesting her first election after the massacre,she defeated Purshottam Harwani of the Congress by a whopping 1.80 lakh votes. Harwani,now in the BJP,was outside the court today.

In 2007,Kodnani was made MoS for women and child development. She resigned after her arrest in May 2009,though she was released on bail shortly after.

As a doctor,she used to be popular in Saijpur,largely because she spoke the same language as most of her local patients. She has,however,virtually left practice since she won the civic elections all those years ago.

Kodnani,who attended the Assembly’s monsoon session,had not been visiting her hospital for 2½ months,sources say. Her responsibilities have been taken over by another doctor. The conviction is expected to cost Kodnani her registration.

Her last public appearance was at the World Sindhi Conference in Ahmedabad,along with Advani.

In court,the prosecution demanded capital punishment. Defence advocate Niranjan Tikani opposed it on the grounds that her husband is not in good health while her son is studying in the US.