Actor-politician Suresh Gopi, who was sworn in as a Union minister of state (MoS) in the Narendra Modi-led government on Sunday, has denied media reports of him wanting to be relieved of the new responsibility.
Taking to social media platform X (formally Twitter) on Monday, Suresh Gopi, who won the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat, claimed, “A few media platforms are spreading the incorrect news that I am going to resign from the Council of Ministers of the Modi Government. This is grossly incorrect. Under the leadership of PM @narendramodi Ji we are committed to the development and prosperity of Kerala.”
Suresh Gopi, a leading Malayalam film actor scripted history by becoming the first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP to be elected from Kerala in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections. Suresh Gopi won the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat by a margin of 74,686 votes.
A Bharatiya Janata Party leader earlier told HT that the actor was unhappy over his induction as the MoS and had hoped to be appointed a cabinet minister or at least, minister of state (independent charge).
Kerala BJP president K Surendran, however, dismissed reports that there would be a change of guard in the party unit of the southern state. He also dismissed as “fake news” the reports about Suresh Gopi allegedly expressing displeasure over not providing him with a Cabinet or MoS (Independent) charge in the Narendra Modi-led government.
Speaking to the media in New Delhi, K Surendran mocked the Kerala media and said a section of journalists was spreading fake news against the BJP state unit.
He also claimed that the media had spread news that the BJP state unit was planning to defeat Gopi from the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat.
“Initially, you (the media) alleged that the Kerala BJP unit had planned to avoid Suresh Gopi by making him the chairman of the Satyajit Ray Film Institute. You claimed that Suresh Gopi would not contest from Thrissur. When the election was announced, the media and certain so-called observers claimed that the state BJP unit was trying to defeat Suresh Gopi,” news agency PTI quoted K Surendran as saying.
Surendran said that people have dismissed fake news.
“A section of the media also claimed that I would be resigning from the post of state chief. I will hand over the charge to you (the media) in the evening. Is that fine?” he asked.
Surendran said the BJP Kerala unit has two Union ministers and has an increased vote share of 20 per cent.
(With inputs from agencies)
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