New Delhi: A day after Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) snapped ties with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), two party ministers - T R Baalu and A Raja - today (Dec 21, 2003) met Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and handed over their resignations and said like Telugu Desam Party (TDP), their party would support the coalition from outside on issues.

Baalu and Raja drove to the Prime Minister's residence and gave their resignations and told Vajpayee that the party took the decision, as DMK did not see eye-to-eye with State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit on issues.

Despite severing of ties with the NDA, there was no difference in the relationship between his party leader M Karunanidhi and the Prime Minister, he said.

To a question whether the Prime Minister asked the DMK to reconsider the decision, Baalu said Vajpayee asked them, "Why you did not inform me earlier?"

The DMK leader told the Prime Minister that it was a party decision, which they had to obey and there was no question of reconsidering it.

Asked whether DMK would be in the NDA coalition, Baalu said, "We will be like TDP. We are going to give only outside support."

Baalu said when he asked Vajpayee whether there was anything to be conveyed to Karunanidhi, the Prime Minister apparently in a lighter vein said, "I am not going to accept the resignations."

Citing a statement by Tamil Nadu BJP unit leader L Ganesan that DMK wanted the comfort of "father-in-law (Centre) and was discarding the wife (BJP state unit)", he said "we (DMK) do not want the comfort".