Kerala woman minister marries farmer

The lone woman minister in the Congress-led UDF Ministry in Kerala, PK Jayalakshmi, on Sunday married a farmer in a traditional Hindu tribal ritual.

The much-talked about wedding of the minister, handling the portfolio of Welfare of Scheduled tribes and Youth Affairs, was held at her ancestral home at Mambayil near Valadu as Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Opposition leader VS Achuthanandan and her cabinet colleagues looked on.

After the traditional ‘Kurichiya’ tribal rituals in the morning, Jayalakshmi, dressed in a silk saree, sought the blessings of both Chandy and Achuthanandan.

The groom CA Anilkumar, clad in a white shirt and ‘mundu’, tied a ‘thali’ (mangalasutra) around her neck and both of them exchanged jasmine garlands as their parents and relatives showered blessings.

The wedding turned out to be a major event in the northern Kerala district. Several ministers, including Ramesh Chennithala, KC Joseph and Speaker N Sakthan were among those present.

The event was telecast live by regional television channels as this is the first wedding of a minister held recently. Decades ago, KR Gowri, a firebrand communist leader, had got married to TV Thomas, also a minister.