CHENNAI:

In a dramatic development, the DMK, a key constituent of the ruling UPA at the Centre, decided to pull out of the Union government and the UPA alliance over the Sri Lanka issue.

Reading out a terse statement at Anna Arivalayam, the DMK HQ, party chief M Karunanidhi said, "The Government of India did not even consider the amendments (to the US resolution in the UNHRC) proposed by the DMK. So, a situation has arisen where the alliance will not benefit Eelam Tamils in any way. Despite this, if the DMK continues in the Union government, it will be a grave injustice. So, the DMK has decided to pull out of the government and the UPA."

The DMK's decision was greeted by cadres cheering and setting off fireworks in the premises of the party headquarters. The five ministers, including Cabinet-rank minister and Karunanidhi's son, M K Alagiri, will tender their resignations during the course of the day, Karunanidhi said.

Nevertheless, the DMK chief added a rider that his party would reconsider its decision if the UPA government heeds to its demand and adopts a resolution in Parliament, censuring the Sri Lankan government for alleged war crimes and genocide.

The DMK's decision came a day after talks with Congress emissaries and senior ministers, A K Antony, P Chidambaram and Ghulam Nabi Azad, failed to thrash out a consensus on the issue of India backing a strongly-worded resolution in the UNHRC, seeking an international, independent probe against Sri Lanka and using stronger terms like 'genocide' and 'war crimes'.

The DMK has taken the gamble to pull out of the UPA, sensing the growing anti-Lanka sentiments in the state in the run up to a crucial session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

There has been a strident student upsurge against alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka with mainstream political parties, including the ruling AIADMK and fringe pro-Eelam outfits too raising the pitch for action against the Island nation.

While the DMK, finding itself in political wilderness after its defeat in the 2011 assembly elections and civic polls the same year, chose to rev up the Eelam issue, the release of pictures of 12-year-old Balachandran, son of slain LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, just before he was shot in cold blood, fuelled sentiments further.

source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com