DMK decides to pull out its support to UPA, 6 ministers resigns

New Delhi/Chennai: The major ally of the United Progressive Alliance in Centre, DMK, has decided to pull out from the Manmohan Singh led government. The decision came in the wake of rift on seat sharing for the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls whcih are slated in next month.DMK has also decided to withdraw its 6 ministers from the Union Cabinet.

The announcement was made by Tamil Nadu CM and DMK President M Karunanidhi on Saturday evening at Chennai after held ing discussions with party leaders .

“We are compelled to suspect that these are all the efforts by Congress to remove us from the UPA. Under these circumstances we have to think whether to continue in the government,” says Karunanidhi.

“In the circumstances, we have to think whether to continue in the Union Government. So we have decided to relieve ourselves from the government,” Karunanidhi added.

A high-level committee of the DMK met this evening to decide on continuing their alliance with the Congress. Party supremo M Karunanidhi was also present at the meeting.

Sources have told that DMK’s TR Baalu is likely to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to convey that the party has withdraw its support to the UPA govt. But there is no clarity yet on when Baalu will meet the Congress leadership.

The two parties have held three rounds of discussions on seat sharing for the April 13 Assembly elections, but there has been little headway. The Congress wants to contest many more seats than the 48 it had fought on in the last elections and, if the alliance comes to power, wants to be included in the government.