Ruling BJP faces yet another challenge after resignation of lone Dalit Minister

The Hindu

07-07-2025

The BJP is facing a difficult transition, after it sought the resignation of a Minister belonging to the Dalit community and three of its nominated legislators, especially given that the party will, in a few months, seek a second term for its coalition government with the AINRC in the 2026 Assembly elections.
In a sudden development on June 27, the lone Dalit member, A.K. Sai J. Saravanan Kumar, submitted his resignation from the Cabinet headed by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy. Around the same time, three of the nominated legislators of the party — V.P. Ramalingam, K. Venkatesan and R.B. Ashok Babu — submitted their papers to the Speaker R. Selvam.
The resignation of the legislators was duly notified by the Assembly Secretariat, just hours after the members put in their papers. However, in the case of the Minister's resignation, what remains in the public domain are the remarks made by the Chief Minister after meeting Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan at the Raj Nivas in the evening of July 27 — that the government had decided to accept Mr. Kumar's resignation.
Though almost 11 days have passed since the Chief Minister made those remarks, no notification has been issued declaring Mr. Kumar's resignation from the AINRC-BJP government, setting off intense speculation in political circles.
'The usual practice is once the resignation is forwarded to the Lt. Governor by the Chief Minister,the L-G sends it to the Ministry of Home Affairs [MHA]. After it gets Presidential clearance, the Confidential and Cabinet Department issues a notification. We have not received any communication from the Centre, so far, on the resignation of the Minister,' said a source in the Union Territory administration.
Mr. Kumar, while speaking to reporters after submitting his papers, had told the media that he had put in papers as advised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 'I was appointed by Mr. Modi, and now he has asked me to resign,' he said.
Till now, the BJP leadership has maintained a steady silence on Mr. Kumar's resignation, while the Opposition, especially the Congress, has raised questions on the 'removal' of the second Dalit Minister from the AINRC-BJP government in Puducherry.
Two years ago, the AINRC legislator representing the reserved Nedungadu Assembly segment in Karaikal, S. Chandira Priyanga, was removed from the Cabinet as the Chief Minister was 'not happy' with the way she handled the portfolios. She was replaced with P.R.N. Thirumurugan, who represents the general constituency of Karaikal North.
The present resignation of Mr. Kumar, according to a BJP insider, was based on a pre-arrangement during the time of government formation. 'It was decided, at the time of government formation, that a Cabinet berth would be shared between two legislators for a tenure of two and a half years. But now, it is the fag end of the Ministry, as the Model Code of Conduct will come into force in six to seven months. We do not know what compelled the leadership to invoke changes now, especially when Mr. Kumar was the sole Dalit representation and we don't have another legislator from the community to replace him. It was an ill-thought-out decision,' he said.
According to another leader, the party had made it easier for the Opposition to corner the BJP even at the national level. Another challenge was finding a replacement for Mr. Kumar, considering the delicate caste equation within the party's legislature wing.
Since the formation of the first NDA government in Puducherry, the BJP has been facing one challenge after the other, especially after the defeat from the lone Lok Sabha seat in Puducherry. After the defeat, three of its legislators have been making open statements, and taking an independent political stand.
During the four-and-a-half year tenure, the party also drew flak for compromising its core ideology when two of its legislators and their family came under severe criticism from the Madras High Court for usurping a temple land. 'The present resignation of the Minister and legislators is the biggest challenge, and that is the reason why the party's Central leadership was taking time to find replacements. Even though the Speaker had publicly said that three new members were going to be appointed as nominated legislators soon, there has been no communication from the MHA regarding this. So, it means the Central leadership was taking its time,' a member of Sangh Parivar-affiliated organisation said.