Murugan Seeks Exit From Modi Government to Build BJP in Tamil Nadu

L. Murugan wants to trade two national roles for village visits and local party work in Tamil Nadu. The Union minister of state has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release him from the government and let him give up his Rajya Sabha seat. He says he wants to strengthen the BJP before the 2029 election. His request comes as talk of a Cabinet reshuffle grows. ^1,6

In a letter to Modi on Tuesday, Murugan asked to leave both his ministerial job and his seat in Parliament’s upper house. He serves as minister of state for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, and was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh. Murugan said serving under Modi had been the greatest honour of his life. He recalled growing up as the son of daily-wage labourers and said he now wanted to stand alongside BJP workers, known as karyakartas. ^1,6

Leaving both roles would end a national career that began in the Union government in 2021, after Murugan led the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit. He lost the 2024 Lok Sabha race in Nilgiris to DMK leader A. Raja, but stayed on as a minister and was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh; his term was due to run until 2030. His departure would leave a vacancy in the government and the upper house, while giving the BJP a full-time organiser in a state where it has struggled to build support. ^4,7,11

That vacancy has fuelled reshuffle talk, but Murugan says he wants to focus on party work, not that government policy should change. Congress MP Jothimani Sennimalai questioned whether he had chosen to leave, alleging he may have been asked to step down; the sources do not confirm that claim. Modi now has to decide whether to accept Murugan’s requests to leave the ministry and give up his seat. ^3,12