L Murugan resigns as Union Minister, expresses wish to return to grassroots

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs L Murugan has resigned from both his ministerial posts and the Rajya Sabha, saying he wishes to return to the grassroots and work full-time for strengthening the BJP in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

Murugan thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said serving under him was the greatest honour of his life.

Murugan said in a post on X, , “It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve Bharat Mata and Tamil Nadu under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri@narendramodiJi. From the son of daily wage labourers to serving in the Union Council of Ministers under the leadership of Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi Ji has been the greatest privilege of my life. Now, I wish to return to the grassroots, stand with our karyakartas and dedicate myself full-time to strengthening the BJP in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.”

Murugan was first elected to Rajya Sabha in 2021 and then for the second term in 2024.

Reflecting on his political journey, Murugan spoke about his background as the son of daily wage labourers and his rise to the Union Council of Ministers under PM Modi’s leadership.

He concluded his post with the words, “Nation First. Party Next. Self Last.”

Murugan served as Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs. He previously held responsibilities related to Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying during his earlier tenure in the Union government. Before joining the Union Council of Ministers, he served as vice-chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes from 2017 to 2020. He also served as the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit president.

His message signals a renewed focus on the party’s grassroots organisation in Tamil Nadu as the BJP prepares for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

Cabinet reshuffle on the cards?

A reshuffle of the Union Cabinet seems imminent now since at least half-a-dozen positions are likely to fall vacant.

Before Murgan, Union Ministers Ravneet Singh Bittu and George Kurian resigned as ministers after their Rajya Sabha terms had ended.

The BJP also did not re-nominate Hardeep Singh Puri and B L Verma for the Rajya Sabha as their terms ended. Besides, Union Minister Harsh Malhotra has taken over as Delhi BJP Chief and will be replaced in all likelihood as per BJP’s ‘One person, one position’ mantra.