BJP's first-ever MP from Kerala, Suresh Gopi, has denied reports claiming he does not want to be a part of the Modi government and would like to be relieved of his ministerial role.
Hours after he was sworn in as the Minister of State in the Modi 3.0 government on Sunday, Kerala BJP MP Suresh Gopi said that he wants to be relieved from the post and work as an MP for the people of Thrissur.
Actor-turned politician Suresh Gopi added that he has signed films and has to do them at any cost.
"My aim is to work as an MP. I didn’t ask for anything. I had said that I don’t need this post. I think, I will be relieved from the post soon. There is no problem with Thrissur voters. They know it and, as an MP, I will perform really well for them. I have to do my films at any cost," Suresh Gopi said, while speaking to a regional channel in Delhi, after the oath-taking ceremony.
Suresh Gopi will soon issue a clarification on the media reports that are claiming he wants to step down, sources said. His office says Suresh Gopi never said this. In fact, misconceptions are being spread by a certain section of the media. Suresh Gopi will issue clarification after the allocation of portfolio, it added.
Gopi, along with senior party leader George Kurian, were the only BJP nominees from Kerala to be inducted into the Union Cabinet.
With Gopi's inclusion in Modi 3.0 government, the BJP wants to show its seriousness about its plans for Kerala, which will be going to the polls in 2026.
Suresh Gopi won the Thrissur parliamentary constituency, which has been a Left bastion, and created history as the first BJP MP from Kerala.
Suresh Gopi defeated the CPI’s VS Sunil Kumar by a decent margin of 74,000 votes in a three-cornered fight. The Congress fielded K Muraleedharan from the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat.
During the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign, Gopi heavily promoted his candidacy with the slogan ‘A Union Minister for Thrissur, Modi’s guarantee’.
