Maran will be the DMK's national strategist, Stalin, Karunanidhi's successor

If the post-Deve Gowda developments on the choice of a United Front successor for the defeated prime minister exposed the strains between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Tamil Maanila Congress in Tamil Nadu, it also helped the ruling DMK firmly draw the dividing line between Madras Mayor M K Stalin and Union Industry Minister Murasoli Maran, son and nephew of Chief Minister M Karunanidhi respectively.

While Stalin will be in charge of the DMK's organisational affairs, Maran will be the party's strategist at the national-level.

"The dividing line had been there all along, but the developments preceding the selection of I K Gujral as prime minister have shown up Maran for what he is worth," says a DMK leader. "No, it's not the selection of Gujral, but the non-selection of TMC chief G K Moopanar that has shown up Maran," he adds quickly.

According to DMK sources, it was Maran who persuaded Karunanidhi to take a subtle anti-Moopanar line. "People may blame him for being anti-Tamil, but he put the DMK's long-term interests above everything else," says one party leader.

"Once the strategy was finalised," the leader continues, "it goes to Maran's credit that most of the dirt was passed on to the Leftists. He was also correct in his assessment that the TMC cannot afford to break its alliance with the DMK in Tamil Nadu."

Despite this, when Moopanar and his colleagues met in Madras to discuss the fate of their party's association with the United Front, TMC activists burnt Maran's effigy.

"I am curious to know who exactly 'named' that effigy," says the DMK leader. "Under the circumstances, anyone wanting to vent his anger on the DMK would have burnt an effigy of Karunanidhi, but not that of Maran, who is basically a behind-the-scenes operator."

Stalin, who spoke out in favour of Moopanar as prime minister, is more acceptable than Maran to TMC cadres. He was the only DMK leader, other than his father, to comment on the issue, and his pan-Tamil sentiments have not gone unnoticed.