DMK to pull out of UPA

Chennai, Mar 5 (PTI) In an apparent act of brinkmanship, the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) on Saturday decided to pull out of the Congress-led Government at the Centre after talks between the two parties on seat-sharing for the elections in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu failed.
DMK President M Karunanidhi, who had Friday night accused the Congress of being unreasonable in its demand, on Saturday charged the ally of trying to push it out of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
The meeting of the party's high-powered committee presided over by him adopted a resolution to pull out of the government and to give issue-based support.
Apparently referring to the Congress' demand of 63 seats of its choice after agreeing to 60, he said the Congress stand does not help for an amicable poll accord.
"We are compelled to suspect that these are all efforts by Congress to push us out of the UPA. Under these circumstances we have to think whether to continue in the government.
"So we have decided to relieve ourselves from the government," Karunanidhi told the meeting.
He made it clear that while pulling out its six ministers from the Union Cabinet, the party would give issue-based support to the Manmohan Singh government during times of trouble.
With 18 Member of Parliament (MP), the DMK is the second largest ally of Congress in the UPA after Trinamool Congress which has 19 MPs.
The DMK's decision on Saturday puts the seven-year-old
successful alliance between the two parties under severe
strain ahead of the April 13 polls when it faces a tough
challenge from rival All India Anna Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam
(AIADMK) which has already tied-up with actor Vijayakant's
DMDK and Left parties.
The DMK-Congress alliance swept all the 40 Lok Sabha
(the lower house of Indian Parliament) seats including the
lone Puducherry seat in the 2004 elections and won 28 seats in
the 2009 general elections. The combine also won the 2006
Assembly elections, though DMK could not get a majority on its
own.
The DMK's action of withdrawing ministers does not
appear to pose immediate threat to the Congress-led coalition
in case of a trial of strength. The ruling coalition has the
backing of 310 MPs, including the outside support being
provided by parties like Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj
Party (BSP) and the Rastriya Janata Dal (RJD).
Shortly after the announcement of the party stand, DMK
parliamentary party leader T R Baalu said the party would
"definitely" have discussions with the Congress if it agrees
to the terms and conditions set by Karunanidhi.
In Delhi, the Congress declined to respond to DMK's
accusations and merely maintained that negotiations were still
on and an agreement on seat-sharing could be reached.
Maintaining that Congress does not want DMK to
continue in the government, Karunanidhi said the party's
attitude surprises the DMK because it has been instrumental in
creating some problems ahead of the elections.
Looking at the efforts taken for the alliance and the
problems being created, the DMK supremo felt that he was
compelled to wonder whether the Congress was using these as an
effort to make the DMK get out of the alliance instead of
trying to arrive at an amicable settlement.
The resolution adopted at the meeting specifically
referred to the Congress demand of 60 seats over 48 it
contested in the earlier elections and DMK's acceptance of it
and its subsequent stand that it needs 63 constituencies of
its choice.
"The DMK feels that the Congress may be deliberately
doing this to show clearly that they were not in favour of us
continuing in the government.
"In these circumstances, the DMK considered the
situation and decides that it will relieve itself from the
government and support it on the basis of issues," the
resolution said.