No Karuna on Sonia, PM: DMK pulls out of UPA over Lankan row

Chennai, March 19: In a major setback for Manmohan Singh-led UPA government, DMK put an end to its alliance with UPA government.

DMK supremo M Karunanidhi on Tuesday, March 19 announced that five ministers of the party would submit their resignations shortly following the controversy on India's stand on US resolution against Sri Lanka.

The DMK patriarch also asserted that his party would not even provide outside support to UPA. Karunanidhi's announcement might have shocked UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi who earlier on the day had asserted, "We are fully committed to the cause of Lankan Tamils and an impartial inquiry should happen into the allegations of atrocities against them."

DMK earlier had made it clear that the party wants the Centre to vote against Sri Lanka when the US sponsored resolution comes up at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 22. DMK also sought the Centre to introduce amendments terming what happened to Lankan Tamils as 'genocide' and an international probe into the alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka.

It seems that senior Congress ministers - P Chidambaram, AK Antony and Ghulam Nabi Azad failed to convince Karunanidhi who had threatened to withdraw his support from UPA government.

Lok Sabha Strength:

Congress: 202
NCP: 9
RLD: 5
DMK: 18
Others: 16

Outside Support:
Samajwadi Party: 22
BSP: 21
RJD: 3
JDS: 3

OneIndia News