On the morning of Saturday 6 February 2021, ahead of an extended meeting of the Mouvement Socialiste Militant, Nando Bodha announced in a statement his resignation as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade. He also stepped down as Secretary General of the MSM and from all bodies of the party to which he had devoted most of his life as an activist.
A decision of principle
To explain his decision, he pointed to a question of values. The ideals and fundamental principles that had guided him since he first stood alongside Sir Anerood Jugnauth, he said, "are no longer there". In his view, the culture of power and the way the MSM was being run no longer reflected the values and principles that had always defined his political career.
The next day, in a video interview, he described it as the most important decision of his career and said he wished to give his political fight a new direction.
An MP in the service of Vacoas and Floréal
Nando Bodha retained his seat as Member of Parliament for Constituency No. 16, Vacoas and Floréal, which he had represented since 2000. He crossed to the opposition benches, where he would sit until the dissolution of the National Assembly in October 2024. That same day, Alan Ganoo succeeded him as head of Mauritian diplomacy.
His departure opened a new chapter: a few months later, Nando Bodha would found his own movement, the Rassemblement Mauricien.