Chennai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today (Apr 1, 2004) said that development would be the main plank of the party's Lok Sabha poll campaign.

BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu told a press conference that the vision document of the party emphasised on development.

He said the aim of the party was to make India a "super power" ('maha shakthi') by 2020 and all attention should be focused on the issue.

Justifying the party's opposition to a person of foreign origin occupying high constitutional posts, he said the BJP firmly believed that only a natural born citizen of the country could head the country and make it as a super power.

"We are not against any individual, but principally against any person of foreign origin occupying top constitutional post like the President, Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India," he said.

Referring to the reports that the India's GDP (gross domestic product) stood at 10.2 per cent in the third quarter of the last fiscal, he said it was due to efforts of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government at the Centre.

"We want to sustain this double digit growth rate for the next five years, which can make the country a super power," he said.

The double-digit growth in GDP was possible because of 16.95 per cent growth in agricultural sector, he said, adding that this had clearly disproved the Opposition charge that NDA Government had neglected the farm sector.

Venkaiah Naidu said the Opposition attempts to raise the issues like poverty, unemployment and less concentration on farm sector would not succeed.

"Our agenda is development. No party can campaign without touching this subject. Compare our five years performance with that of Congress Governments of 50 years," he said.

He said the response to the BJP's vision document was overwhelming and even minorities had started looking upon the BJP for their development. "The mood is upbeat. For the first time, results are known even before polling. Vajpayee will become the Prime Minister after the polls," he said.

Describing the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), PMK (Pattali Makkal Katchi) and MDMK (Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) aligning with the Congress as "opportunistic" alliance, he said the erstwhile partners of the NDA should explain to the people why they left the NDA.

Likewise, the Congress also owed an explanation to the people, why it had aligned with those, whom it has charged before with hobnobbing with the Rajiv Gandhi killers, he said.

Asked whether the DMK president M Karunanidhi had demanded induction of Dayanidhi Maran, son of late Murasoli Maran into the Cabinet, he said when he had met Karunanidhi after Maran's demise, the DMK leader had told him that no decision had been taken on the replacement for Maran in the Union Cabinet.