Suresh Gopi offers to step down as Minister, wants C. Sadanandan to replace him

Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi on Sunday expressed his desire to step down from his ministerial post and recommended Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) newly elected Rajya Sabha member C. Sadanandan as his replacement.

Addressing party workers at a function here, which was also attended by Mr. Sadanandan, Mr. Gopi said the senior leader’s nomination to the Rajya Sabha marked a significant breakthrough in the politics of Kannur district. “I am saying here with sincerity that Mr. Sadanandan should be made a (Union) Minister after removing me. I believe that it will become a new chapter in the political history of Kerala,” he said.

Mr. Gopi added that he prayed that Mr. Sadanandan’s MP office here would soon be upgraded to a ministerial office.

The actor-turned-politician said he was among the youngest BJP members in the State, having joined the party only in October 2016. He said the party might have made him a Union Minister in recognition of the mandate given by the people during the Lok Sabha polls. “I never wanted to be a Minister by quitting my film career,” Mr. Gopi said, adding that his income had significantly decreased in recent times.

Mr. Sadanandan, a senior leader of the BJP from Kannur, had lost both his legs during an alleged attack by CPI(M) workers in 1994.