• But what are your views on the episode?

It shouldn’t have happened. It is very sad.

• What lessons has the party learnt from this?

Some senior people had been saying that there were many power centres in the DMK. The episode proved that there is only one power centre and that is at Anna Arivalayam. If you go against the party, this is what happens. And, Maran’s exit makes no difference. There are no vacuums created in the DMK. The party will go on.

• Has you father got over the trauma?

Of course, some residue is still there. But there are so many people who have been as close as family to him and it has happened before too. But he got over it eventually.

• There has been some talk of rapprochement with the Marans.

That is something the party will decide.

• Did the episode bring the siblings closer?

We have always been close to each other.

• There is a lot of pressure on you now. You are being projected as the DMK’s new ambassador in Delhi.

There is no such pressure. Some people are trying to project me that way. But that’s not true. There are enough capable people in the party to handle that role.

• What do you think of Jayalalithaa’s allegations of corruption against your family ?

I don’t take the corruption charges seriously, coming as they do from Jayalalithaa. As for family involvement in state politics, the family of every party member is part of the DMK politics. It just cannot be helped.

... contd.