HR&CE Minister Ramesh, 31, has emerged as one of the new faces in the Vijay-led cabinet, coming from a modest background with little exposure to power politics.
According to the report, Ramesh has been a Vijay fan since childhood and was given an opportunity by the party leadership to contest the election. He won and was subsequently inducted into the cabinet.
Ramesh’s family lives in a 250 sq ft house in Maraimalai Nagar in Chengalpattu district. His father Srinivasan, 65, continues to work as a priest at the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Maraimalai Nagar, earning about Rs 5,000 a month.
His mother Sumathi, 55, works as a cook and reportedly travels around 90 km daily for her job. Srinivasan, originally from Thirukannapuram village in Nagapattinam district, moved to Maraimalai Nagar in 1995; the family still lives in a house provided rent-free by the temple administration.
Srinivasan said the family managed to educate Ramesh up to a B.E. degree, while the other two sons studied up to diploma level. Ramesh’s elder brother Sudarshan, 37, works as a machine operator and younger brother Aravind, 29, is employed in a private firm. The report adds that Ramesh, who had been working in the private sector, is expected to move with his wife and child to a government-allotted residence, while his parents will continue to stay in the temple-provided house.
