New Delhi, Mar 18, (KNN)  In a big setback to the UPA government, its key ally DMK today decided to pull out of the government and said, it will not even give outside support to the Manmohan Singh government.

DMK, with 18 MPs in the Lok Sabha has pulled the plug on UPA on the issue of the controversial UN resolution on Sri Lanka. 

It wanted the Central Government to censure the Rajapakse government in Sri Lanka on the issue of alleged atrocities against Tamilians in the island nation.

Speaking to reporters after meeting the three union ministers Karunanidhi said that he had told the three ministers that "the attack on Lankan Tamils by Sri Lanka should be declared as genocide".

Making announcement of the pull-out, DMK chief Karunanidhi in Chennai said that his party will reconsider the decision if parliament passes a resolution in support of the DMK demand. 

All the five DMK ministers in the parliament will resign today or tomorrow.

The DMK pull-out is a setback to UPA as it will not be able to get through the key economic legislations in the parliament.

Questions are also being raised in the political circles whether the country is heading for general elections ahead of the schedule in May 2014.

In a house of 539 seats, the UPA is left with 232 MPs and outside support from SP, BSP, RJD and JDS.

The stock market reacted in a nervous manner to the political development. 

Reacting to the news of DMK pull-out, the Finance Minister P Chidambaram said, "There is no threat to the UPA government.  The government will stay in power.  We have taken note of DMK's statement." (KNN)