NEW DELHI: Union Minister of State L Murugan on Tuesday resigned from the Modi government, saying he wished to return to strengthen the BJP in Tamil Nadu.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Murugan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, said it was the "greatest honour" of his life to serve "Bharat Mata" and Tamil Nadu under his leadership.

"With humility and grateful heart, I therefore request you to relieve me of my responsibility as MoS and permit me to relinquish my membership of the Rajya Sabha, so that I may dedicate full time to strengthening the party in Tamil Nadu," he said.