Suresh Gopi, the Thrissur MP, who took oath as Union Minister on Sunday (June 10) expressed his hope that the BJP central leadership would relieve him of ministerial duties to fulfill his film commitments.
A day after taking oath as a Minister of State, Thrissur MP Suresh Gopi expressed his wish for the BJP central leadership to relieve him of ministerial responsibilities as he needs to fulfill his commitments to complete film shoots. There are also reports that he was disappointed after being assigned the position of Minister of State, despite playing a key role in securing a historic victory for the BJP in Kerala.
When summoned to Delhi to be sworn in as a minister, Gopi had informed the BJP central leadership about his previous commitments to complete ongoing film projects.
Meanwhile, the BJP leadership has stated that Suresh Gopi was appointed as Minister of State considering his film commitments. There are hints that he might be assigned to the Ministry of Culture.
In a statement to reporters in Delhi, Suresh Gopi said, “I want to work as an MP. My stand was that I didn’t want it (Cabinet berth). I had told (the party) that I was not interested in it (Cabinet berth). I think I will be relieved soon. The people of Thrissur know very well. I will perform very well as an MP. I want to act in films. Let the party decide.”
Suresh Gopi received 4,12,338 votes, defeating CPI’s VS Sunil Kumar (3,37,652 votes) by a margin of 74,686 votes, data from the Election Commission of India (ECI) said. Congress candidate K Muraleedharan, who was strategically moved by his party from his incumbent seat of Vadakara to Thrissur to counter Suresh Gopi, finished third with 3,28,124 votes.