Mumbai: Claiming that the national mood was against the Congress and it must be exploited, BJP 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 here.
He claimed parties like SP and BSP 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.
Attacking the government on the issue of corruption, the party said, every passing day only confirms the impression that Manmohan Singh "presides over the most corrupt union government since Independence."
"Committing corruption and protecting the corrupt with impunity is the hall mark of its governance. Even here the standards are different for the involvement of allies and for those who belong to the Congress party", it said.
The resolution further said that Home Minister P Chidambaram who was the Finance Minister "when the 2G scam happened has a lot to explain about his own role which needs to be investigated fairly. Yet he continues to enjoy the infinite trust of the Prime Minister.”
"Now serious questions are being raised about a highly doubtful Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance being granted over the alleged involvement of Chidambaram family member in the Aircel-Maxis deal through a web of holding companies. This deal itself is being investigated by the CBI including the role of the then Telecom Minister (Dayanidhi) Maran".
PTI
First Published: Friday, May 25, 2012, 17:01