What MLAs and ministers do for a living ?

Many of the DMK ministers and AIADMK heavyweights have claimed in their nominations for the 2006 poll that they are farmer, handloom weaver or school correspondent. A few had declared they were jobless, including DMK president M. Karunanidhi and his son Stalin, scoring out the column asking for profession. A few said they were involved full-time in social service. Chief minister M. Karunanidhi, who was among 17 crorepati ministers in Tamil Nadu in the 2006 Assembly, has scored out the occupation column. He said he had assets worth Rs 26 crore. His son and deputy chief minister M.K. Stalins records also say he does not have a job but assets worth Rs 1 crore and also liabilities amounting to Rs 66 lakh. Holding Rs 24 crore worth assets, AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa claims she is an agriculturist.

Her party leader K.A. Sengottaiyan also claims he is an agriculturist having Rs 2 crore worth assets. Labour minister T.M. Anbarasan claims to be a handloom weaver and has Rs 96 lakh worth assets. According to the records, social welfare minister Geetha Jeevan works as correspondent for Geetha matric school in Thoothukudi, situated at Geetha Nagar. She had disclosed in her nomination that she had Rs 1 crore worth assets. Egmore MLA Parithi Ilamvazhuthi has declared that he has been involved in political service and thats his occupation. He has Rs 62 lakh worth assets. CPM MLA Mahendran has Rs 4 lakh worth assets and does social work for an occupation. DMK MLA V.S. Babu declared he is engaged in real estate business. Congress MLA Kovai Thangam said he is a Bharat Petroleum dealer and has Rs 70 lakh worth assets.

Social activist A. Devaneyan said if these ministers were truly farmers, farmer suicides would not have risen to alarming levels. We come across the suicides of farmers and weavers in Tamil Nadu often. If these ministers were truly engaged in farming and weaving, the ordinary farmers and weavers would have seen a golden era during their governance,