Have Marans buried the hatchet with DMK?

In an apparent bid for rapprochement with the estranged first family of the state's ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Kalanidhi Maran, son of late Murasoli Maran, on Saturday met Tamil Nadu minister M K Stalin to greet him on his birthday.

Sources close to Maran described the meeting as a courtesy call to greet Stalin, who turned 56, but the meeting assumed significance following the strained relationship between the families of DMK chief M Karunanidhi and his grandnephews, the Maran brothers -- Kalanidhi and Dayanidhi.

On the other hand, sources close to Stalin sought to play down the meeting said no significance should be attached to the event as it was Kalanidhi's normal practice to greet Stalin on his birthday.

Kalanidhi is the brother of Dayanidhi Maran, who had to resign as Union Minister last year, capping a showdown with the Karunanidhi family.

In another interesting development, Tamizhmurasu, a Tamil evening daily of the Marans, carried advertisements on Saturday greeting Stalin, close on the heels of Dinakaran, the morning newspaper of the Marans, carrying an advertisement greeting AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa on her birthday, that had not gone down well with arch rival DMK.