London, Jan 24 : The banishment of French Justice Minister Rachida Dati by President Nicolas Sarkozy into the "internal exile" of the European Parliament has been interpreted by the French media as a "slow-motion dumping" of the new mum.

Dati will retain her job until May but has agreed to stand down to become deputy leader of the ruling party''s campaign in the greater Paris area for the European elections in June, reports the Independent.

Dati, is said to have begged the President to remain in her senior ministerial job, or at least national politics.

Dati became a celebrity after being appointed in 2007. She was the second of 12 children born to a Moroccan labourer and illiterate Algerian mother. Sarkozy celebrated her rise to the top as an against-the-odds success story.

The 43-year-old caused a sensation when she originally returned to work just five days after the birth of Zohra, a baby girl, on January 2.

Her refusal to name the father of three-week-old Zohra Dati on the grounds that she has "a complicated private life" thrust her back in the media spotlight and sparked an intense media guessing game.

Many feminist groups said the single mum had been "bullied" by Sarkozy, who was disappointed by her poor showing at the key department. (ANI)