Chennai: When L Murugan, the former BJP chief in Tamil Nadu, was being sworn in as a minister in the Narendra Modi government, his parents -- Loganathan (68) and Varudammal (59) -- were busy toiling in the fields. When some politically aware villagers informed them that their son had just become a Union minister, they smiled. When Murugan contacted them over phone to share the news, they innocently asked him, "Is this post bigger than the previous one?"
Murugan was the president of the BJP in Tamil Nadu from March 2020 to July 7 this year. He was appointed as the Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, and Information and Broadcasting as the Modi government overhauled its cabinet and council of ministers earlier this month.
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Despite their son reaching such high echelons in the country's governance, Murugan's parents continue to live in a small house made of asbestos sheets, work in farms and as daily wage labourers, ride to the fields on a bicycle and wear the same old clothes.
"Murugan told us on the phone that he was inducted as a minister in the Modi government. We do not even know what that means and what position he holds. But, we know it is something big. We are happy and proud," Varudammal told the reporter. "He tells us not to go to fields anymore. He asks us to shift, stay with him. As we cannot say 'no', we visit him once in six months or so. But, the city's hustle-bustle doesn't suit us. We cannot stay confined to the four walls," she said.
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When the reporter asked her why she and her husband continued to put in such hard labour at this age given their son could afford them all the luxuries, Varudammal said, "Murugan has reached such heights with his hard work and talent. For our part, we want to work and feed ourselves in our own money as long as our hands and legs are intact."
