Union Minister of State (MoS) L Murugan on 13 October resigned from the Union government. Murugan, the junior minister in Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, said he wanted to return to his ‘grassroots’ in Tamil Nadu to strengthen the BJP in the state.
Murugan has also resigned as a (MP). His resignation has raised speculation about an imminent reshuffle in the Council of Ministers.
This is 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.
Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri was also not renominated by the BJP in the just-concluded Rajya Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh. However, he continues to be 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 BJP’s Uttar Pradesh and Delhi units respectively in recent months, continue to discharge both the 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.
L Murugan was born on May 29, 1977, in Konur, Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu, according to the official website for the ministry of information and broadcasting.
He has a degree in law from Tamil Nadu Dr Ambedkar Law College in Chennai. He also has a Master’s and PhD from University of Madras.
Murugan joined the (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1997. In the RSS, the ideological fountainhead of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Murugan served as the national general secretary of its Scheduled Caste division.
On March 12, 2020, Murugan was appointed as chief of the BJP’S Tamil Nadu unit.
Murugan served as minister of state (MoS) in the Ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying in 2024. Before this, from 2017 to 2020, he also served as the vice-chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC).
Murugan lost the to DMK’s A Raja in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris constituency, but was inducted into the NDA’s council of ministers through Rajya Sabha.
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 give up his Rajya Sabha membership.
Murugan practiced law for at least 15 years and aslo serves as the Standing Counsel to the Government of India at Madras High Court.
“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 PTI.
In the letter, Murugran said it was the “greatest honour” of his life to serve “Bharat Mata” and Tamil Nadu under his leadership.
“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,” he said.
Murugan said that from being the son of daily wage labourers to serving in the under the leadership of PM Modi has been the greatest privilege of his 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. Nation First. Party Next. Self Last,” he said.
Murugan said the love and hope he witnessed during the prime minister’s recent visit to Tamil Nadu have strengthened his conviction that there is much more the party can achieve in Tamil Nadu.
“I wish to devote my full time and energy to preparing the party for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, working towards another term under your leadership, this time with a landslide contribution of seats from Tamil Nadu.
(With agency inputs)
