Sameera Ahmed| December 16, 2014| 1.40 pm ISTElected at least six times to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly, senior DMK leader Durai Murugan recently refuted rumours over his alleged resignation over differences with the party leadership. Earlier reports suggested that differences arose over the allocation of a post for his son in DMK’s Vellore unit. Officially denying rumours over the differences and his resignation, he restated that he was not just a ‘mere politician’, but one who believes in Dravidian politics’ following in DMK chief Karunanidhi’s footsteps. However, if the rumours are true and he is indeed following in his leader’s footsteps, should Durai Murugan be blamed over for expecting the party to take in his son with open arms? The DMK over the years has become the epitome of dynastic rule in the south. The Karunanidhi history is known to all and sundry. Even as Karunanidhi remains the head of the party, the question over which of his two sons, Stalin or Alagiri, the next political heirs of the 90 year old leader will take up the party leadership was a question that haunted the party for long. Rebel son, Alagiri was expelled from the party ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, as the turf war between the two sons became even more pronounced. It was not just the sons who represented the DMK’s nepotism. Even M Kanimozhi, one of the accused in 2G spectrum scam, also plays a major part in her father’s party as the chief of the Art, Literature and Rationalism wing and also an MP in the Rajya Sabha representing Tamil Nadu.Apart from the immediate Karunanidhi family, his extended family, namely the Marans, have also played an important role in DMK’s history. Murasoli Maran, Karunanidhi’s nephew, was one of DMK’s main players before his demise in 2003. An MP for 36 years, not only was he a Union minister thrice but also became the one responsible for Tamil Nadu ‘s first regional cable TV channel, Sun TV. His son, Dayanidhi Maran, too has played an active political life, by being elected to the Lok Sabha twice in 2004 and 2009. While Tamil Nadu’s ‘First Family’ has its roots firmly in politics, the idea of dynastic rule has not restricted itself to them. The idea has also been embraced by DMK’s second rung leaders and district secretaries in the state. For instance, a DMK member from 1957, Veerapandi S Arumugam became the Agricultural Minister during the last DMK regime in Tamil Nadu. He passed away in 2012, however his son has continued on in his father’s political path. While the father won from Salem, the son A Rajendiran won from Veerapandi in the 2006 elections. There is a turf war even in Salem between Veerapandi Arumugam’s son and Stalin’s man Rajendran.In a similar father-son duo, V Karuppasamy Pandian and his son VKP Shankar play a similar role. An MLA winning from the AIADMK in the 1977 and the 1980 elections, V Karuppasamy Pandian joined the DMK in the year 2000. Pandian is now the DMK district secretary in Tirunelveli. His son, VKP Shankar too joined politics.Another senior DMK leader, Thagam Thennarasu became Tamil Nadu’s Minister for School education during DMK’s 2006- 2011 rule. Elected twice to the Legislative Assembly in 1997 and 2006, Thennarasu is also known to be the son of former MLA from Arruppukottai, V, Thangapandian.While sons are known to take after their fathers, in some cases, the daughters have not been left far behind. N Periasamy, the current district secretary for Thoothukudi was elected to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly representing the DMK from Tuticorin in both the 1989 and 1996 elections. His daughter, P Geetha Jeevan Nadar became the social welfare minister for Tamil Nadu during the last 2006-11 DMK rule.In many districts, the DMK is witnessing power struggles, many such factions lead by the next generation of leaders. With the DMK chief not able to set his own house in order, little wonder then if the turf wars intensify elsewhere.