New Delhi, June 23 -- Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs George Kurian on Tuesday stepped down from the Union Council of Ministers following the completion of his Rajya Sabha tenure.

The move comes after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chose not to field him again in the recent upper house elections.

President Droupadi Murmu has accepted his resignation, according to a statement issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday.

In addition to the Minority Affairs portfolio, Kurian had also been serving as Minister of State in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

(This is a developing story. More to come)

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from MINT....