PM sacks Ashwani Kumar, Pawan Bansal

India News: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh axed scam-tainted ministers Pawan Kumar Bansal and Ashwani Kumar, two cabinet members seen to be close to him, late on Friday and hours after Congress president Sonia Gandhi expressed her displeasure at their continuance in office.

In a meeting with Singh, Sonia is understood to have conveyed the party's unease at growing public anger against the government for not acting against railways minister Bansal and law minister Kumar, who have made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Labour minister Mallikarjun Kharge is likely to be given additional charge of railways and telecom minister Kapil Sibal or petroleum minister Veerappa Moily may look after the law ministry, sources said.