Murugan resigns, leaves RS also
In a surprising move, Union Minister of State L Murugan resigned from the Modi Government on Tuesday, saying he wanted to return to Tamil Nadu to strengthen the BJP in the state, sparking speculation about an imminent reshuffle of the Council of Ministers.
This was the third resignation of a Minister of State (MoS) from the Council of Ministers after George Kurian and Ravneet Singh Bittu, who quit in June and July, respectively, after they were not renominated for Rajya Sabha elections by the BJP.
Murugan has been a member of the Rajya Sabha since September 2021 and was re-elected to the Upper House in April 2024 from Madhya Pradesh.
His tenure ends in April 2030. The minister said he wants to resign his Rajya Sabha seat.
The BJP also did not renominate Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in the just-concluded Rajya Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh. However, he remains a member of the Union Cabinet.
Similarly, MoS in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, BL Verma, was also not renominated for the polls to the Upper House. He too continues to be in office. Two other MoS, Pankaj Chaudhary and Harsh Malhotra, who were made chief of the BJP’s Uttar Pradesh and Delhi units, respectively, in recent months, continue to discharge both responsibilities.
“I requested our Prime Minister to relieve me from the Council of Ministers and the Rajya Sabha because I want to go to Tamil Nadu to strengthen our party. In my letter to the Prime Minister, I stated that I want to strengthen our party by going to villages, streets and everywhere else, and prepare the ground for the 2029 parliamentary elections,” Murugan told the media.
In his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Murugan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, said it was the “greatest honour” of his life to serve “Bharat Mata” and Tamil Nadu under his leadership.
