Madurai:
The Madurai wedding of DMK chief M Karunanidhi's grandson, Durai Dayanidhi, is not only the social event in political circles, it has also united the party's first family. Durai Dayanidhi is the son of DMK leader Alagiri, who is also a member of the Union Cabinet.
The wedding ceremony took place in Madurai on Thursday. Among the many known faces who graced the occasion were Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Home Minister P Chidambaram and superstar Rajinikanth. "Karunanidhi has two assets - the DMK; and Stalin and Alagiri. Both should protect each other," Rajinikanth said at the ceremony.
The grand reception on Wednesday evening at the sprawling Tamukkam grounds saw the entire Karunanidhi clan and also A Raja, who resigned on Sunday as Telecom Minister. Mired in the 2G scam, Raja took a welcome break from the controversies surrounding him and was standing solidly with his beloved leader Karunanidhi. The two were seen having a good time.
(See Pictures)Karunanidhi' daughter Kanimozhi welcomed the guests as the wedding couple moved on to the stage with Alagiri and others.
The DMK made it a point to show that it has buried its past. Welcoming the guests was M K Stalin, Alagiri's younger brother. Not so long ago, Alagiri's supporters ransacked the office of a newspaper run by the Maran brothers here in Madurai after it published a controversial survey pitting Stalin ahead of Alagiri as the future chief ministerial candidate of Tamil Nadu. It led to a rift between the Marans and the Karunanidhi family. But now DMK leaders say all that is history. The Maran brothers were also seen welcoming guests.
"We are always together, we are together and we will be together," said Trichy Siva, Leader of DMK in the Rajya Sabha.
With elections just six months away in Tamil Nadu, the wedding could not have come at a better time to bring cadres together and to unite the DMK's first family.
The proud father, Alagiri, was seen enjoying the moment of great pride and satisfaction, with guests bestowing wishes and luck upon the couple. In a perfect move to lift the party's spirit, he sang a Tamil film song. Karunanidhi and other family members were clearly seen enjoying the performance.
In attendance on Wednesday's party were politicians, actors and corporates from across the country.
"I came to wish the young couple on behalf of my party and leader Sharad Pawar," said Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel.
"It was a very grand affair," said Kris Srikkanth, the Chief Selector of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Congress Spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan, who was spotted at the event on Wednesday, said, "I came purely as a personal friend. We have tremendous respect for the Chief Minister and Mr Alagiri.".
Actors Kamal Hassan, Kushbu, Vadivel, Napolean, Madhavan, Ajit were among the notable stars world who greeted Durai Dayanidhi and Anusha, daughter of a Chennai-based advocate.
Alagiri had personally invited the President, the Prime Minister and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, but they are not attending the wedding.