New Delhi: Union Minister of State George Kurian resigned from the Union Council of Ministers after the completion of his Rajya Sabha tenure, bringing an end to his stint in the Narendra Modi-led government. President Droupadi Murmu accepted his resignation with immediate effect on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to an official communication from Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Kurian, who held the portfolios of Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, stepped down after his Rajya Sabha term ended on June 21. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had decided not to renominate him in the recent Rajya Sabha elections.
A veteran BJP leader from Kerala, Kurian has been associated with the party since its inception in 1980 and was inducted into the Union Cabinet after the formation of the Modi government’s third term. He was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh in August two years back to fill the remainder of a vacant term.
His exit has also triggered speculation about a possible Cabinet reshuffle at the Centre, although no official announcement has been made regarding a replacement or broader ministerial changes. Political observers have linked his resignation to the end of his parliamentary tenure and the party’s decision not to extend his term in the Upper House.
Kurian was considered an important BJP face among Christian communities and was reportedly the only Christian minister in the Union government. NDA functionaries have indicated that he could be entrusted with organisational responsibilities in his home state of Kerala in the future.
