5 Indian ministers resign from government

Five ministers of India's Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA)'s key southern ally DMK resigned from their posts Wednesday, a day after their party pulled out of the ruling coalition over the government's failure to condemn alleged atrocities against ethnic Tamils in neighboring Sri Lanka. After the five ministers submitted their resignations to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a minister of the Congress party reiterated that the government was "stable" and would remain in power. "We are not a lame duck government. No political party has come out and challenged its majority," Indian Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath told the media. The DMK on Tuesday withdrew the support of its 18 Members of Parliament to UPA government, saying that it was unhappy with India's stand over Sri Lanka at the United Nations' Human Rights Council. "The Government of India did not even consider the amendments ( to the U.S. resolution in the United Nations) proposed by the DMK. So continuing in this government will be an injustice to the Sri Lankan Tamils," DMK chief M Karunanidhi told the media at party headquarters in Chennai, capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The DMK, which is the main opposition party in Tamil Nadu that has a large population of Tamils, has demanded that the Indian government pass a resolution in the Parliament condemning the alleged atrocities committed by Sri Lankan forces against Tamils during the island nation's long civil war which ended with the death of rebel Tamil Tiger's chief V. Prabhakaran. The party has also urged the government to push for stronger language in the UN resolution, including the use of the word " genocide". The UPA -- which needs 271 MPs to stay in government -- still has the support of 280 MPs, after the withdrawal of support by the DMK. The general elections are due next year.