Ramadoss, Velu to hand over resignation to PM

Union ministers Anbumani Ramadoss and R Velu, whose party PMK has aligned with Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK to contest the Lok Sabha polls, resigned from the Manmohan Singh government on Saturday.

Both of them met the prime minister and put in their papers. Speaking to reporters after submitting his resignation, Ramadoss said prime minister Manmohan Singh told him that he would forward the resignation with a "heavy heart."

"We told the Prime Minister the circumstances under which the party has taken the decision to go out of the alliance and he problems we are facing with the DMK," he said.

He said the PMK was "forced out" of the DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu in June last year and efforts by PMK to patch up with the Karunanidhi-led party did not yield any results.

Asked whether the PMK would join the UPA if the Congress-led coalition comes back to power after the polls, he said, "all these issues will be sorted out. After the election, leaders of the alliance will sit together and take a decision."

"I am not in a position to talk about the alliance now," Ramadoss said.