Union Minister of State L Murugan on Tuesday resigned from the Narendra Modi government, expressing his desire to return to Tamil Nadu and devote himself full-time to strengthening the Bharatiya Janata Party's organisational presence in the state.
Murugan, who held the portfolios of Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, conveyed his decision in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting that he be relieved of his ministerial responsibilities. He also sought permission to relinquish his membership of the Rajya Sabha to concentrate on political and organisational work in Tamil Nadu.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ
In his letter, Murugan expressed gratitude to Modi for the opportunity to serve in the Union government, describing it as the greatest honour of his life. He said serving "Bharat Mata" and Tamil Nadu under the Prime Minister's leadership had been a privilege.
"With humility and grateful heart, I therefore request you to relieve me of my responsibility as MoS and permit me to relinquish my membership of the Rajya Sabha, so that I may dedicate full time to strengthening the party in Tamil Nadu," Murugan wrote.
His communication indicated that he intended to shift his focus from responsibilities in the Union government to strengthening the BJP's political organisation in his home state.
๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ง๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฑ๐
Murugan's decision comes as the BJP continues its efforts to expand its political and organisational presence in Tamil Nadu, where the party has been seeking to strengthen its grassroots network.
A former president of the BJP's Tamil Nadu unit, Murugan has been closely associated with the party's organisational activities in the state. His request to relinquish both his ministerial position and Rajya Sabha membership signals his intention to devote his attention to state-level politics.
The letter, however, did not specify the organisational responsibilities he might assume after leaving the Union government. There was also no immediate confirmation in the information provided on whether the Prime Minister had formally accepted his resignation or whether the process of relinquishing his Rajya Sabha membership had been completed.