Family vs party

Tamil Nadu CM Karunanidhi's eldest son is so upset over his father's affinity with his stepsister MK Kanimozhi, that he has threatened to give up his ministerial post

Family vs party

Tamil Nadu CM Karunanidhi's eldest son is so upset over his father's affinity with his stepsister MK Kanimozhi, that he has threatened to give up his ministerial post

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While the 2G scam has already created a divide in Karunanidhi family, the gap seems to be widening. Sources say that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's eldest son and union minister M K Alagiri is pressurising his father to distance himself from his stepdaughter MK Kanimozhi, who is a Rajya Sabha member. He has threatened to quit as minister if his father continues to encourage Kanimozhi.

Not on talking terms: Alagiri was not seen at Kanimozhi's birthday
celebrations yesterday

Alagiri was not seen at Kanimozhi's birthday celebrations yesterday, while he was also absent from a government function at Madurai, in which his younger brother and Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M K Stalin were the chief guest. Alagiri is understood to have been upset over his father's affinity to Kanimozhi, who is close to A Raja, the tainted DMK leader.

However, as if rubbing salt on the wound, Karunanidhi lauded the efforts of Kanimozhi, who is popularising the party by holding job fairs across the state. The patriarch said his daughter was his real image as she writes poetry like him at her birthday celebrations.

"I don't want to mix politics with family. There is no rift as projected by the media," said Kanimozhi. But a seething Alagiri is understood to have called his father to say he would not take up any responsibility in the coming assembly polls.

While Alagiri and Stalin are the Karunanidhi's sons from his first wife Dayaluamma, Kanimozhi is the daughter from his third wife Raasathiamma. Dayaluamma was close to former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran because he is a close relative, while Raasathiamma reportedly encouraged A Raja to be telecom minister. A source said that Kanimozhi has been on Alagiri's crosshairs ever since she became a Rajya Sabha member in 2009.

While DMK is an alliance partner in the UPA, the Congress is taking advantage of the situation to corner the party in Tamil Nadu as the assembly polls are around the corner. As there is uncertainty about the continuance of the alliance in the assembly polls, the Congress is bargaining for a dominant role in the state.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is understood have expressed his displeasure over poor performance by the DMK ministers in his cabinet including Alagiri, while Raja's case was a natural bone of contention, when he met Karunanidhi in Chennai, last week. Inputs by Ramesh Kanteerava in Chennai

The silent one

Alagiri is state rank minister for chemicals and fertilizers and he has never spoken in the parliament, except once when he uttered two sentences while reply to a question in the house.

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