A fresh political controversy has erupted after DMK spokesperson Surya Vetrikondan made a series of derogatory remarks targeting Tamil Nadu HR&CE Minister S. Ramesh and his family’s humble background during an interview with a YouTube channel.
The remarks came while Vetrikondan was responding to criticism made by Minister Ramesh regarding Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin.
During the interview, Vetrikondan launched a personal attack on the minister and his family, saying Ramesh came from “a family that built its livelihood on fifty lies for half a coconut” – a deeply insulting way of mocking someone’s modest means and family background. He also repeatedly used the word “noku”, a colloquial Tamil Brahmin form of “you.”
“That is a family that built its livelihood on fifty lies with half a coconut, do you understand? Do you get it?” Vetrikondan said.
When the interviewer pointed out that Vetrikondan himself had become a minister at a young age and had earned public recognition, asking why he would resort to bringing up “half a coconut” and embarrass himself, the DMK spokesperson doubled down.
“Tell me, with a clear conscience: does that Ramesh have the standing to question our Udhayanidhi about whether he is a language warrior (mozhipor thyagi)? Can you really compare that family to this one? Speak about politics with a conscience, do you think we are just sitting here idly? People like him, supposedly great, intelligent politicians, if we actually respected them and spoke politely, would they even understand it? That is exactly why I said it; given your background, you shouldn’t be talking like that. You really need to control yourself a bit.”
Minister Ramesh Comes From A Modest Priest’s Family
Ramesh’s personal background has been widely documented since he became a minister in Chief Minister Vijay’s cabinet.
The 31-year-old engineering graduate was raised in a modest 250-square-foot house in Maraimalai Nagar near Chengalpattu, adjoining the temple where his father has worked as a priest for several years.
His father, K. Srinivasan, serves as the priest at the Sri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Maraimalai Nagar. According to previous media reports, he currently earns a monthly salary of ₹5,000. His mother, S. Sumathi, travels nearly 90 kilometres every day to Mylapore and back for her job as a cook to supplement the family’s income.
Originally from Thirukannapuram village in Nagapattinam district, Srinivasan moved to Chennai in 1995. Around fifteen years ago, he began working as the temple priest at the privately managed Sri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Maraimalai Nagar. The family has been residing in accommodation provided by the temple trust on the floor above an adjoining building.
Srinivasan has previously said that his family had lived with limited financial means for decades and had never imagined that one among them would one day become a minister.
He recalled that when he first became a temple priest, his monthly salary was only ₹300. It was later increased to ₹1,000, then ₹3,000 and eventually ₹5,000.
According to him, the family’s limited income meant that while they were able to help Ramesh complete his Bachelor of Engineering degree, his two other sons could study only up to diploma level. Ramesh’s elder brother works as a machine operator in a private company, while his younger brother is also employed in the private sector.
Ramesh himself worked in an automobile company before entering full-time politics through Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, eventually becoming a founding member of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). Following his appointment as Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, he is expected to move into an official ministerial residence, while his parents and siblings intend to continue living in their existing house near the temple.
Rather than limiting his response to politics, Vetrikondan has targeted Ramesh’s family background, mocking the minister’s modest upbringing and priestly household – very typical of a Dravidianist DMK member whose only way to attack Brahmins is through their caste.
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