The DMK pulled out of the Congress-led UPA coalition on Tuesday in protest against the government's position on a U.S.-backed United Nations resolution on war crimes carried out during Sri Lanka's civil war.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is based in Tamil Nadu, and has often pressured the government to do more to protect Sri Lanka's minority Tamil population.

The DMK has 18 seats in the Lok Sabha as part of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's coalition, which already rules in a minority. Singh's Congress party can continue to govern with parliamentary support from two other regional parties.