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Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Tourism and Malayalam film actor Suresh Gopi, the BJP’s first Lok Sabha MP from Kerala, has said he wants to step down from his ministerial post, citing his wish to return to acting full-time. Speaking at an event in Kannur on Sunday, October 12, the Thrissur MP said his income had significantly declined since taking charge as a minister and that he wished to resume his film career to support his family.
“I really want to continue acting. I need to earn more; my income has now stopped completely,” Suresh said. The actor-politician said he had conveyed his reluctance to take up ministerial responsibilities even before the Lok Sabha elections. “Acting brings me revenue, and I want to support my family and a few others with that income. But now, my revenue is affected,” he added.
Suresh, who joined the BJP in October 2016, became the first from the party to win a Lok Sabha seat in Kerala in 2024. He said his appointment as a minister was the party’s way of honouring that victory. “Despite being the youngest member in my party, I was made a minister, perhaps because of the people’s mandate that helped me become the first BJP MP from Kerala,” he said.
At the event, Suresh also suggested that RSS leader and newly nominated Rajya Sabha MP from Kerala, C Sadanandan Master, be appointed in his place as Union Minister. “I say this with sincerity: Sadanandan Master should be made a Union minister in my place. I believe it would mark a new chapter in Kerala’s political history,” he said.
Suresh added that he had never aspired to hold ministerial office. “A day before the elections, I told reporters that I do not want to become a minister; I want to continue with my cinema,” he said. He also noted that Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders in Kannur were concerned about Sadanandan Master’s elevation to the Rajya Sabha, fearing it could strengthen the BJP’s prospects in the CPM stronghold.