National mood is against the Congress: Jaitley

Claiming that the national mood was against the Congress and it must be exploited, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley on Friday sought to drive a wedge in the ruling UPA asking its allies to "not only proclaim but strike as well".

"The allies of the UPA are a discontented lot. However, they are willing to proclaim but unwilling to strike. They should not only proclaim but strike too", party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain briefing reporters on the deliberations quoted Jaitley as stating on the political resolution at the national executive in Mumbai.

He claimed parties like Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party are "pushed to submissiveness due to pressures on them by the CBI".

Alleging the political management of the UPA is disastrous for the nation, he said, "there is a crisis of leadership. The head of the government is not the natural leader of either the party or the nation. The lack of leadership is responsible for the directionless and the absence of decision making".

Calling for expansion of the NDA, Jaitley in his speech said the BJP must "avoid" any kind of contradictory voices emerging from "within".

In the resolution, moved by party's deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde, the party said, "people look up to the BJP. It is our duty to rise to the occasion, measure up to the expectations and assure the people of the country that the BJP indeed is the instrument which will redeem India."

Seeking to attract regional parties towards it to strengthen the NDA, the party went on the offensive against the Centre accusing it of encroaching upon the federal principles to curb the powers of the state governments.

"It is legitimate to draw an inference that respect for federal principles is not a part of the DNA of the Congress", the resolution asserted.