On March 1, Dinakaran, the Tamil daily published by the Maran family, ran an unusual page one pointer to a report inside: there was a photograph of a monkey with a blurb which read ‘Korungukku Birthday’ (Monkey’s Birthday).

On the international page, the newspaper reported in great detail about how a monkey, Josephine, celebrated its 47th birthday at the San Diego Zoo “with its son, grandson, etc.”

But among the DMK rank and file, there was little doubt about the allusion. March 1 was M Karunanidhi’s second son M K Stalin’s birthday. Party insiders felt this was no coincidence.

While Murasoli, the DMK organ, and other pro-party newspapers reported at length how Stalin would be celebrating his birthday, Dinakaran merely carried advertisements issued by Stalin loyalists.

Party insiders say that the immediate provocation for the lampooning was to ‘hit back’ at Stalin for pointing out an error in a speech made by Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran at the inauguration of a desalination plant in Chennai.

Dayanidhi’s brother Kalanidhi runs Dinakaran and Sun TV which have played a key role in Tamil Nadu’s dynastic politics.

Stalin and Kanimozhi, daughter of Karunanidhi’s second wife, Rajathai Ammal, get little space in Maran’s Sun TV or its newspapers. There is much talk that the MK brothers, Stalin and Azhagiri, want their sister to play a more prominent role in Delhi, if only to keep Dayanidhi in check.

A year ago, when the DMK government was sworn in, Dayanidhi, after greeting his ‘thatha’ (grandfather) Karunanidhi, called on Stalin, the local administration minister, and fell at his feet. That was then. Tamil Nadu has seen the silent rivalry brew — and it spilled on to the streets yesterday when the Dinakaran office went up in flames.