All five Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Ministers in the UPA government submitted their resignation letters, as per the party’s decision, to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Parliament House on Wednesday.
DMK parliamentary party leader T.R. Baalu led three Ministers of State — S.S. Palanimanickam (Finance), S. Jagathrakshakan (Commerce and Industry) and R. Gandhiselvan (Health and Family Welfare) — to the Prime Minister around noon.
An hour later, Cabinet Minister and DMK president M. Karunanidhi’s son M.K. Alagiri and Minister of State for Social Justice D. Napoleon met Dr. Singh separately and submitted their papers.
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Mr. Palanimanickam refused to comment whether Dr. Singh said anything about the DMK’s decision to pull out of the Cabinet as well as from the UPA.
Informed sources said Mr. Alagiri was unhappy that he was not kept in the loop when the party decided to submit the letter of withdrawal of support to the UPA to the President on Tuesday night and also when it decided to call on Dr. Singh to submit the resignation letters.
Mr. Karunanidhi’s letter to President Pranab Mukherjee read: “I wish to inform you that the DMK has today [Tuesday] taken a decision to withdraw immediately its support to the UPA government at the Centre. I am thankful to you for all your cooperation and kindness”.
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Meanwhile, a DMK ally, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi leader and Lok Sabha MP Thol. Thirumavalavan met Mr. Mukherjee and submitted a letter of withdrawal of support to the UPA government.