Dr L. Murugan, the Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and for Parliamentary Affairs, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, to give up his ministerial post and his membership of the Rajya Sabha. He said he wants to return to Tamil Nadu and work full-time for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) there before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
News On AIR, the public broadcaster's news service, reported that he has resigned from both positions. The letter, which Dr Murugan posted on his X account, is worded as a request to the Prime Minister to relieve him, according to The Hans India and News24.
What the letter says
"With humility and a grateful heart, I therefore request you to relieve me of my responsibilities as Minister of State," the letter says, as quoted by News24. He also asked to be allowed to give up his Rajya Sabha membership.
Dr Murugan wrote that he wished to "return to the grassroots" and stand with party workers. He described his guiding principle as "Nation First. Party Next. Self Last", The Hans India reported.
He said he plans to visit every village and street in Tamil Nadu and meet people and party workers. He linked the decision to the Prime Minister's recent visit to the state, which he said had strengthened his belief that the party could do more there. Our earlier report covers the Prime Minister's Chennai programme of 11 October.
In the letter he called serving in the Union Council of Ministers under Mr Modi the greatest privilege of his life, and recalled that he is the son of daily wage labourers.
Key points
- Who: Dr L. Murugan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and for Parliamentary Affairs.
- What: a letter to the Prime Minister giving up both his ministerial post and his Rajya Sabha seat.
- When: Tuesday, 13 October 2026.
- Why, in his words: to work full-time on strengthening the BJP in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
- Not yet known: whether the resignation has been formally accepted, and who will take over his two portfolios.
What is still to happen
Two separate steps are involved. A Minister of State is appointed by the President on the Prime Minister's advice, and a minister's resignation takes effect when the President accepts it, which is announced through a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique. A Rajya Sabha member's resignation is addressed to the Chairman of the House and takes effect when the Chairman accepts it.
None of the reports published on Tuesday evening mentions either acceptance, a successor for his portfolios, or a reaction from the party or from other parties. News24 noted that there has been talk of a reshuffle of the Union Council of Ministers, but Dr Murugan's letter gives party work in Tamil Nadu as the only reason.
Who is L. Murugan
Dr Murugan has spent nearly three decades in the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the BJP, and is a former vice-chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, according to The Hans India's account of the letter. He has been a member of the Rajya Sabha twice and has spent five years in the Union government. He took charge of the Information and Broadcasting ministry as Minister of State in the present government on 11 June 2024, News On AIR noted.
What it means for Tamil Nadu readers
The move takes a Union minister from the state out of the government in Delhi and puts him back into full-time party work at home. It comes a day after the President named a new Governor for the state - see our report on the new Governors for six states, including Tamil Nadu.
What role the BJP gives Dr Murugan in its Tamil Nadu unit has not been announced. That, and the formal acceptance of his resignation, are the next things to watch.
