The move is being seen as retaliation for the Congress backing Vijay and the TVK in Tamil Nadu.
“I write to respectfully request suitable changes in the seating arrangement of MPs belonging to the DMK in the Lok Sabha. In view of the changed political circumstances and as our alliance with the Indian National Congress has come to an end, it may not be appropriate for our members to continue occupying the present seating arrangement alongside them in the House,” DMK parliamentary party leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi said in her letter to the Speaker.
She requested the Speaker’s office to allot separate seating for DMK MPs. The DMK has 22 members in the Lok Sabha and eight in the Rajya Sabha, numbers that had provided significant support to the Congress within the INDIA bloc.
The development comes amid strains between the Congress and some regional allies within the opposition bloc, including parties such as the AAP, TMC and RJD.
