DMK pull out: Govt. is safe and will continue to work, says Shinde
New Delhi, Mar. 20 : Despite the DMK, the second largest constituent of the ruling coalition, officially withdrawing its support, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Wednesday said the Congress-led UPA Government is safe and will continue to work.
"We are not at all worried. The government is safe and we will continue to work and serve India," Shinde told media here.
"In democracy, we have to believe those people who believe in secularism. We have to take them along with us," he added, when asked about the UPA now looking forward to the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP) for support.
The DMK on Tuesday withdrew its support to the UPA over the issue of alleged human rights violations of Sri Lankan Tamils, and ruled out any reconsideration.
A five-member DMK delegation headed by T R Baalu handed over a letter by party supremo M. Karunanidhi to President Pranab Mukherjee at 10.30 p.m. at Rashtrapati Bhavan withdrawing support of its 18 Lok Sabha MPs to the UPA government.
This move of the DMK has made the UPA Government vulnerable despite its assertions of having a parliamentary majority. The ruling coalition will now eye for support from the regional parties, which includes the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party.
With the pullout of the 18 DMK MPs in the Lok Sabha, the strength of the UPA Government declines from 295 to 277 in the Rajya Sabha.
Karunanidhi had earlier on Tuesday said the DMK continuing to support the Central Government under these circumstances is impossible.
" Even if the LTTE is vanquished, our support for the fight of Tamil freedom and human rights is not over," said Karunanidhi, while addressing the media yesterday in Chennai.
"We totally support the revolution in Sri Lanka and the rights of the Tamils, we have fought for their rights," he added.
The DMK has also ruled out any question of giving outside support, but said it might consider changing its stand based on the government's stand.
"If the Parliament passes a resolution before the vote in UNHRC, we might change our stand," Karunanidhi said.
Karunanidhi had earlier said India should strongly urge the establishment of a credible and independent international commission of investigation into the allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law and genocide against the Tamil people.
The U.S.-sponsored motion puts the island nation in dock over alleged war crimes and rights violations against Tamil civilians during the final phase of the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The resolution is moved by the US for the second time. Last year, India had supported a similar resolution.