TN power shift: Alagiri,Maran come closer

Politics makes strange bedfellows and it seems DMK leaders M K Alagiri and nephew Dayanidhi Maran who became bitter enemies...

Politics makes strange bedfellows and it seems DMK leaders M K Alagiri and nephew Dayanidhi Maran who became bitter enemies after the infamous survey published by the latters family-owned Tamil daily projected M K Stalin as a more popular heir to party patriarch M Karunanidhi have realised this.

Lately,the two are said to be warming up to each other. Significantly,the bonhomie comes at a time when Alagiri is said to be weighing his options on his political future in New Delhi. His dilemma apparently stems from the fact that his younger brother Stalinalready the Deputy Chief Ministeris now the de facto political heir to his father.

According to sources in the DMK,Maran went to meet Alagiri at his official residence here at least thrice in the last two months. In a surprise move,Alagiri also turned up to visit his nephew Maran when the latter was admitted to a private hospital last week for a minor surgery,surprising many in the Dravidian party.

Alagiri has been nursing a grudge against the Marans ever since the Dinakaran survey in 2007. After the survey was published,Alagiris supporters burnt down the office of Dinakaran in his stronghold Madurai resulting in the death of three employees and resignation of Maran from the Union Cabinet.

The first public indication of Alagiris unease with Stalin taking over his fathers mantle came when Karunanidhi hinted at retiring from politics last month. In what was seen as an indication that successor issue was far from resolved,Alagiri merely said the Chief Minister will not retire from politics and will continue to lead the party and government.

Sources close to Alagiri,who keeps shuttling between Delhi and Madurai,have indicated that he was not happy with his stay in Delhi but refuse to hazard a guess about his plan of action. While the language handicap is one issue,they feel he wants to focus his attention on state politics.

Although Alagiri has not given any hints about whether he wants to go back to Tamil Nadu,sources said the rise of Stalin in the party hierarchy can be seen as the sole reason for his return,if that happens,almost eight months after he was sent to the Centre as a Cabinet minister as part of the family power separation plan.