Mandya, 5 April 

JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy has said he is sincerely working for NDA's better prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and the continuation of alliance BJP, after the parliamentary elections, will depend on how his party and its leaders are treated.

The former chief minister further said that given an opportunity and if Prime Minister Narendra Modi has confidence in him, he wants to be the Agriculture Minister, in the event of NDA coming back to power at the Centre.

He said, "We being part of the NDA depends on how our party leaders are treated in the future. We are sincerely working and we want a long-standing relationship with BJP. But ultimately we will take a decision depending on how we are treated and how much respect we get from BJP."

JD(S) headed by former prime minister HD Deve Gowda joined BJP-led NDA in September last year. As part of the seat-sharing agreement, BJP would contest in 25 constituencies and the JD(S) in the remaining three -- Mandya, Hassan and Kolar.

The JD(S) leader, who is an MLA from Channapatna in the neighbouring Ramanagara district, said he was under a lot of pressure from the people of Mandya to contest from there.

Stating that it is BJP which is the "natural ally" of JD(S) and not Congress, Kumaraswamy said his party has always fought the grand old party for the last 50 years.

Kumaraswamy also said the Congress in Karnataka had messed up the State's finances because of its guarantee schemes and the government doesn't have any funds for capital expenditure or development.