Minister's wife adept in farm work than politics

Sankarankovil, Tamil Nadu, May 4 (UNI) In an era where the seat of power is accompanied by comforts and luxurious lifestyle, an AIADMK Minister's wife strikes a different chord with her simplicity, modesty and hard work.

Middle-aged Muthumari's day begins early in the morning and she has little time to devote attention to the campaign of her husband, Adi Dravidar Welfare Minister C Karuppusamy. She is more adept at plucking jasmines and ripe chillies in her farm than understanding the nuances of electoral politics.

When asked about the poll prospects of her husband contesting election from the Sankarankovil reserved constituency in the southern district of Tirunelveli for the third consecutive time, she tries hard to fight back her shyness.

''I don't know anything about politics. He has already won twice.

Probably, he may win this time too,'' she puts it simply.

The Minister's posh bungalow at the Greenways road in Chennai has never appealed to her. ''I have been there many times but I don't stay for long. I prefer working in my farm to sitting in an air-conditioned room,'' she said.

Setting out of her tiled-house, located in a Dalit colony, Muthumari walks down a narrow and stony lane for a distance of about two kilometer to reach her farm, where she raises jasmines, chillies and cotton.

A television set is the only modern gadget visible in her modest house here, which is differentiated from the cluster of other Dalit houses by a fresh coat of paint.

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