Hardening its stand on the Lankan Tamils issue, DMK today decided to pull out of the UPA government at the Centre for allowing "watering down" of the US resolution against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC and not considering its suggestions on the matter.
A day after three senior Union ministers -- A K Antony, P Chidambaram and Ghulam Nabi Azad met him, DMK chief M Karunanidhi today snapped his party's nine-year long association with UPA and also decided to withdraw his ministers from the government.
After chairing an emergency meeting of TESO, a pro-Tamil organisation revived by him last year, a combative Karunanidhi charged the Mamnohan Singh government with not only allowing "watering down" of the US resolution against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC but also not even considering any of DMK's suggested amendments to that resolution.
"When a situation has been created that will not benefit Ealam Tamils, it will be a big harm to the Tamil race for DMK to continue in government. (therefore) it has been decided that DMK will withdraw from the cabinet and the coalition," he said in a statement read out by him.
Asked whether his party would extend outside support to the Centre, he emphatically said, "Ethuvum kidayathu" (nothing).
DMK has 18 Lok Sabha MPs, one cabinet minister and four junior ministers.
