- The influential Sun TV and Dinakaran, both owned by the Marans, were turning against the Karunanidhi government.
- The Marans' media groups were also reporting the spectrum scam involving Union telecom minister A. Raja of the DMK.
- Sun TV was devoting telecast time to DMK rivals like Jayalalitha.
- Battling incumbency, the DMK needs the support of the Marans. A family divided spells trouble for the party.
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- Nov 2003: After Murasoli Maran's death, differences crop up between the Marans and the Karunanidhi clan.
- Nov 2004: Karunanidhi asks wife to offload shares in Sun TV.
- Mar 1, 2007: Maran-owned paper Dinakaran carries a picture of a chimp in a San Diego zoo that has the same birthday as Karunanidhi's son M.K. Stalin.
- May 9, 2007: Dinakaran poll says DMK chief's elder son, Azhagiri, unpopular. The paper's Madurai office attacked.
- May 13, 2007: DMK chief tells Dayanidhi to resign from Union cabinet.
- June 3, 2008: Azhagiri prevents Marans from meeting Karunanidhi on the patriarch's 84th birthday
- June 9, 2008: Azhagiri's Royal Cable Vision (RCV) launched in Madurai. Sun TV channels blocked in Madurai.
- July 23, 2008: Sun TV files a petition in Madras high court seeking a direction to the home secretary to instruct officials to receive complaints against RCV for illegally tapping Sun's signal.
- Sept 2008: Sun TV goes "neutral". Covers Jayalalitha's meeting live.
- Nov 21, 2008: Feud reaches a new level with Karunanidhi hurling several charges against the Marans in the DMK organ, Murasoli. Kalanidhi responds to charges with unexpected vehemence.
- Nov 30, 2008: Kalaignar TV launches news channel to counter Sun TV.
- Dec 1, 2008: The grand reconciliation of the two warring families.
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Swinging leftwards: Jayalalitha with Karat
According to party insiders, Kalanidhi Maran's belligerent rejoinder contributed to the DMK patriarch's rethink. Having the powerful Marans, who own Sun TV, the largest network in Tamil Nadu, as enemies would not help the DMK in any way. So, not surprisingly, Karunanidhi was keen to take up Selvi's rapprochement plan. Says Tamil writer and DMK watcher S. Gnani: "The 'M' in Karunanidhi's initials stands for money, muscle and media. He had the first two, but realised that with his coalition weakening after the exit of the PMK and the Left, he needed the media clout of the Marans." He says the Marans have clearly won the first round as it is they who have forced Karunanidhi to give in.
Either way, the Karunanidhi family is relieved that the war is over. Sun TV and the Maran-owned newspaper Dinakaran (circulation: 10 lakh) had become a thorn in the party's flesh. Everything Karunanidhi did and did not do was criticised. His rivals, like Jayalalitha, Vijayakanth and MDMK's Vaiko, were given coverage, particularly when they targeted Azhagiri. "Since the reunion, while Sun TV continues to cover other leaders, the focus on the spectrum scam involving DMK's Union telecommunications minister A. Raja has gone. So has criticism of the government and Azhagiri," says a DMK source.
In fact, the Karunanidhi family had started Kalaignar TV to counter Sun TV after the feud broke out. But that move didn't quite pay off. Viewership was poor and the channel was not a patch on the one run by Maran. The latter's news programming actually became more "objective" as Sun also ran anti-government/DMK stories. The advantage for the Marans is that they have bought peace of mind, with Azhagiri not eating into their media empire. There is talk that they may take over RCV, started by Azhagiri in Madurai to counter the Marans' local Sumangali Cable Vision.
Political rivals believe that the rapprochement was merely one of convenience. Asks Jayalalitha, "What are the terms of the settlement? As long as the war was going on, he (Karunanidhi) was acting like a war correspondent. Now, he has the duty to report on the terms of the ceasefire." Cho Ramaswamy, editor of the satirical Thuglaq, underlined that money drove the families apart and money brought about the reconciliation. "Avarice is the motto of the Karunanidhi clan," he says.
No one believes that the truce will last. For one, Kanimozhi, the most photographed politician of the family, was missing from the happy family portrait of December 2. And for another, within days, Dayanidhi was left out of the CM's delegation to Delhi this week to discuss the Lankan issue with the Centre. In fact, Kanimozhi was the prominent face beside her father during his meetings with the PM and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Those looking for a 'happily ever after' ending to the story will have to look elsewhere.
