Murugan’s induction into Union ministry could energise TN BJP

Murugan’s induction into Union ministry could energise TN BJP

Formulated Big-Ticket Entries Ahead Of Elections

Jayaraj Sivan and Shanmughasundaram.J TNN

Chennai:08.07.2021

To strengthen the party in Tamil Nadu before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP on Wednesday inducted party state president L Murugan into the Union ministry as a minister of state. He was given the portfolio of information and broadcasting, and fisheries, animal husbandry and dairy. Tamil Nadu had not had any representation in the Union ministry after minister of state for shipping Pon Radhakrishnan’s term ended in 2019. With Murugan’s shift to Delhi, the party central leadership will have to select a new chief for Tamil Nadu BJP. Probable candidates are former IPS officer K Annamalai and former minister and sitting MLA Nainar Nagendran.

Despite having one Lok Sabha member and five Rajya Sabha members from Tamil Nadu and one RS member from Puducherry, the AIADMK once again missed out on the opportunity to join the Union ministry owing to infighting in the party. AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam had tried hard to get a berth for his son O P Raveendranath Kumar, but his efforts have gone in vain owing to opposition from party joint coordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami.

Coming back to Murugan, he was the architect of some of the big-ticket entries into the BJP after he took over the reins of the state BJP in March last year. He made the entry a smooth affair, dispelling doubts about the entrylevel barrier, for many including V P Duraisamy, who was deputy general secretary in the DMK, R C Paul Kanagaraj, who merged his party Tamil Maanila Katchi with the BJP, DMK’s former MLA Ku Ka Selvam, former IPS officer K Annamalai, former IRS officer A Saravanakumaran and actress Khushbu Sundar.

Murugan’s electoral debut was in 2006 assembly elections in Sankari constituency. He contested unsuccessfully again from Rasipuram assembly segment in 2011. Before becoming the party state chief, Murugan was national SC/ST Commission vice chairman. Murugan’s roots are deep in the RSS. He joined the organisation during his school days itself. He joined the ABVP during his law college days in Chennai. He was the state coordinator of the struggle committee against the Ranganath Mishra Commission report. The BJP feared that the report, if implemented could eat into reservation for OBCs. The struggle committee’s national coordinator was President Ram Nath Kovind.

Murugan gave an aggressive face to the state BJP by training guns on the DMK. Sensing that Lord Ram and Ayodhya issues would not yield political dividends in Tamil Nadu, he took Lord Muruga’s vel into his hands to launch several state-wide campaigns like Vetrivel Yatra and Vel Pooja. The campaigns may have helped the party win four out of the 20 assembly seats (thereby ending a drought of 15 years without any representation in the assembly) it contested, but Murugan could not make it to the assembly from Dharapuram. He will now take the Rajya Sabha route to the Parliament.

SOARING UP: L Murugan has been given the portfolio of information and broadcasting, and fisheries, animal husbandry and dairy