DMK MP Kanimozhi with Congress leader and LoP Rahul Gandhi. File photo | PTI
India

DMK gets approval to sit separately in Lok Sabha; party likely to skip INDIA alliance meeting

DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for changing the seating arrangement in view of the changed political circumstances.

TNIE online desk

The DMK has been given approval by the Lok Sabha secretariat to sit separately from Congress, which joined the TVK-led government in Tamil Nadu, resulting in strained relationship between the long-time allies.

The MK Stalin-led party had sought a change in seating arrangement for its MPs in the Lok Sabha, saying their alliance with the Congress has ended and it would not be appropriate for its members to sit alongside those of the Congress.

A separate sitting arrangement for the DMK is being worked out, according to sources.

DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for changing the seating arrangement in view of the changed political circumstances.

The DMK is also unlikely to attend the opposition INDIA bloc meeting to be held here on June 8.

The Congress, which won only five seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, has gone ahead in extending support to the TVK in government formation, thus putting an end to the alliance with its old ally DMK.

The party has now become part of the TVK government.

The Congress had contested the assembly polls as part of the pre-poll alliance with the DMK.

This has led to acrimony between the two parties with senior DMK leaders calling this action of the Congress "backstabbing" and "betrayal".

The Congress, however, justified its action, saying the DMK had also contested the 2014 election alone.

(With inputs from PTI)

Manipur: Kuki organisation opposes ongoing SIR, protests alleged exclusion of IDPs

India, Venezuela agree on long-term energy partnership as PM Modi holds talks with Delcy Rodriguez

Oxford study reveals India’s cities among the most heat-exposed globally

Amid Trinamool split, Mahua Moitra accuses defectors of betraying anti-BJP mandate

UDF signals KIIFB reset: Fiscal health report calls for end to independent borrowing, greater transparency

SCROLL FOR NEXT