CHENNAI: In a dramatic turn of events, the feud between the first family of the State and that of the Maran brothers Kalanithi and Dayanidhi, ended on a happy note on Monday. The members of both the families including M K Azhagiri and M K Stalin, rallied behind DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi at his Gopalapuram residence and decided to let bygones be bygones.
Karunanidhi, who has been very disturbed of late by the infighting among his family members said of the reunion: “My eyes welled up with tears and my heart overflowed with joy.” Though Karunanidhi gave greater credit to the role played by his elder son Azhagiri in bringing together the warring groups within the family, DMK sources said it was M K Stalin who played a pro-active role in the reunion.
All family members of Karunanidhi later posed for a photo session and Azhagiri, Stalin, and the Maran brothers left the residence in the same car.
When a scribe asked how this ‘manamatram’ (change of heart) became possible, Karunanidhi, in his inimitable style, quipped: ``Manamirunthathal matram vandhadhu” (as there was a will to re-unite, the change of mindset took place).
There has been a war of words between the families for the past one and half years and at one point Azhagiri even went to the extent saying that he would not allow a reunion as long as he was alive.
Relationship between the families nose-dived after Dinakaran, a Tamil daily owned by Kalanithi Maran published a survey on his possible successor.