Kanimozhi may join Team Manmohan

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK chief M Karunanidhi has hinted that his daughter Kanimozhi is expected to become minister in the Union government.

The veteran Tamil Nadu leader, who was in the Natinoal Capital to play mediator between the Left and the Congress over UPA’s presidential candidate, hinted as much while returning to Chennai on Friday.

With this trip, the patriarch seems to have set the stage for his family’s direct entry into national politics. So far, it was the Maran family which represented DMK in different central governments.

Asked by journalists whether he would back in the Capital to make his daughter a minister at the Centre, Mr Karunanidhi replied “possibly”. Ms Kanimozhi will assume the job of interlocuting between her father and the Congress. The role was earlier entrusted to DMK leader and former minister Dayanidhi Maran until he and his brother Kalanidhi fell out with Mr Karunanidhi’s family.

The split has also been reflected in the DMK distancing itself from the Maran’s Sun Network. A new channel, from Sun competitor Raj TV’s stables, called ‘Kalaignar TV‘ (Mr Karunanidhi’s title is Kalaignar) is set to be launched very soon severing even media link between the Karunanidhi family and the Marans.

Ms Kanimozhi will be occupying the position that was once held by Mr Murasoli Maran, the father of Dayanidhi and Kalanidhi, who was DMK a cabinet minister in both the United Front and the NDA governments.

By getting a member of his own family enter the Union government, perhaps even the cabinet, Mr Karunanidhi would have extended his dynasty’s power even to Delhi. His son M K Stalin is expected to take over from him eventually in the state. His other son Azhagiri will be in-charge of the party in southern Tamil Nadu.

After Thursday’s back-to-back meeting between the various UPA allies, Mr Karunanidhi called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the evening with his daughter and his six year-old grandson. Ms Kanimozhi, who had a 15-minute long introductory meeting with Ms Gandhi, is said to have chatted with the Congress leader and also thanked her for selecting a woman candidate for the President’s post.

The newly-elected Rajya Sabha member is a poetess and a former journalist. She runs a free speech society along with Union finance minister P Chidambaram’s son Karthi Chidambaram going by the name ‘Karuthu’. Answering other questions, Mr Karunanidhi said that there was time until August for discussing the vice-presidential elections.