All in the family

Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers MK Alagiri has been very irregular as far as attendance in Delhi is concerned. Still, his cabinet colleagues didn't mind, as they were expecting he would return to Tamil Nadu in the next few months. But at a recent meeting between DMK chief K Karunanidhi and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, the former did not give any hint that his son was shifting to his base. Rather, the Congress brass got the impression that Alagiri might continue as a central minister till state elections in December. DMK sources suggested the party would like to use its minister in the elections. As Stalin, Karunanidhi's other son, is seen as Karunanidhi's successor in Tamil Nadu politics, the father might like to keep the other son busy in Delhi to avoid clashes.