Chennai: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today (Dec 11, 2003) said it wanted its alliance with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) to continue for the next Lok Sabha polls, but it was for DMK to take a decision on this.

"The ball is in DMK's court. We want the alliance to continue," BJP's national secretary L Ganesan told a press conference in Chennai.

He said BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu had even gone to the extent of saying that the DMK president M Karunanidhi should head the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu.

He said if the present "good relationship" between both the parties should continue, DMK should, as a "goodwill gesture", announce withdrawal of its picketing programme in front of Central Government offices, scheduled for December 15.

DMK had decided to organise protests demanding withdrawal of POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act) and against "anti-people" policies of the State Government.

BJP's victory in three State Assembly polls had strengthened the party's hope of winning 300 seats in the next Lok Sabha polls, he said.

Asked whether the construction of Ram temple at the disputed site would form part of the BJP's manifesto for the next polls, he said if the party decided to issue a separate manifesto, it would definitely be there. "No force on Earth can prevent construction of a magnificent temple for Lord Ram at Ayodhya," he said.

PTI