Dayanidhi Maran offers to quit Union Cabinet

Chennai, May 12: DMK MP and Union IT and Communications MinisterDayanidhi Maran has offered to step down from the Union Cabinet in thewake of the ongoing feud between the Maran and Karunanidhi families,which led to the violence in Madurai recently. Two days after the attack on the newspaper office protestingagainst the publication of an opinion poll, which portrayed ChiefMinister M Karunanidhi's Madurai-based son M K Azhagiri in poor light,the Marans rushed to the Chief Minister's residence yesterday in anapparent bid to buy peace.

Informed sources said Mr Maran had handed over his resignationletter to Mr Karunanidhi. But, a visibly upset and annoyed ChiefMinister refused to accept it, stating that he should give it to PrimeMinister Manmohan singh.

Mr Maran, the grandnephew of Mr Karunanidhi, was not immediately available for comments.

Mr Maran, who played a key role in bringing foreign investments to thestate, had visited the airport to receive Prime Minister Manmohan Singhand AICC President Sonia Gandhi last evening, but did not show up atthe felicitation meeting of Mr Karunanidhi on his golden jubilee in theState Legislature at Island grounds and also during the special addressdelivered by the Governor in the Assembly yesterday.

Mr Karunanidhi's anger against the Marans for publishing thesurvey, despite his appeal to the newspaper management not to do so,was evident as the government denied permission to Sun TV for sendingsignals from the venue of the meeting.

Meanwhile, efforts were on for a patch up by the family members tosmoothen ruffled feathers. That the Marans were also ready for peacewas evident from the fact that the Sun TV and Dinakaran, both owned bythem, have changed their stand in respect of Mr Azhagiri in connectionwith the Madurai violence.

The ''cold war'' between the Maran and the Karunanidhi familiestook a bloody turn on Wednesday when supporters of Mr Azhagiriransacked and set afire the office of Dinakaran, killing threeemployees of the daily.

UNI

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