L Murugan resigns as Union Minister of State and Rajya Sabha member, says he will work for BJP in Tamil Nadu
Minister of State L Murugan on 13 October resigned from the Union Council of Ministers and the Rajya Sabha, saying he wants to strengthen the BJP in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
L Murugan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, resigned from the Union Council of Ministers on Tuesday, 13 October, and also gave up his Rajya Sabha membership, according to ETV Bharat, The Hans India and The Week.
Murugan announced the decision in a post on X and in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which he requested to be relieved as minister and permitted to leave the Upper House, The Hans India reported.
What Murugan said
In his letter, Murugan described serving under Modi’s leadership as “the greatest honour of my life,” according to The Week. He said he wanted to dedicate himself to “strengthening the party in Tamil Nadu” and to “go to every village and every street,” the magazine reported.
In his post on X, he said he wished to return to the grassroots and work to strengthen the BJP “ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections,” according to The Week and ETV Bharat. The Hans India reported that he said he plans to visit villages, engage party workers and voters, and work towards winning more Lok Sabha seats from the state. “I do not come from a political family. I come from a very poor family,” Murugan said, according to the same report.
Reshuffle speculation
The resignation came amid speculation about a Union Cabinet reshuffle. The Week reported that media reports suggest a reshuffle could take place before Diwali, and that there has been no reshuffle in about two and a half years. The Hans India noted that no official announcement on the timing of any reshuffle had been made. None of the three reports said whether the resignations had been formally accepted.
Background
- Joined the Union Council of Ministers in July 2021 (The Hans India)
- Vice-chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, 2017–2020 (ETV Bharat)
- BJP Tamil Nadu unit president from 12 March 2020 (ETV Bharat)
- Lost the Dharapuram seat in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly election to the DMK’s N Kayalvizhi by 1,393 votes (ETV Bharat)
Murugan also thanked the Prime Minister for initiatives related to Tamil Nadu, including fishermen’s welfare, the Kashi Tamil Sangamam and the installation of the Sengol in Parliament, The Hans India reported.
Sources: ETV Bharat, The Hans India, The Week
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