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Striking a note of caution, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham on Friday apprehended unrest across the country if the Vishwa Hindu Parishad went ahead with its threat to commence construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya any time after March 15.
DMK president and former Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi hoped that the VHP's threat would not materialise.
The DMK is a constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
"Prime Minister Vajpayee is very firm on his commitment to the NDA agenda, which is committed to await the Supreme Court verdict on the temple controversy," he said.
Both Vajpayee and BJP president Jana Krishnamurthy have also declared that the NDA agenda on the Ayodhya issue had not changed, Karunanidhi pointed out.
In a way, Karunanidhi's comments appeared to be a mild reminder to the BJP to adhere to the principle of religious harmony.
"The DMK continues to be in the NDA," Karunanidhi asserted, when asked about the state CPI-M's call to NDA constituents to walk out of the combine, alleging that the BJP sought to divide people on communal lines.
Karunanidhi also criticised the Election Commission for remaining a silent spectator to the ruling AIADMK's violations of the poll code in the Andipatti by-poll, which former chief minister J Jayalalithaa is contesting.
He called on the Congress and Left parties to reconsider their call to vote against the DMK if they were serious about their criticism of the AIADMK government.
More reports on the temple controversy
More reports on the Andipatti by-poll
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