President's address lifeless, directionless: BJP

BJP also said NDA would insist on PM Manmohan Singh's resignation over the SC verdict on Bihar Assembly dissolution.

Opposition BJP on Thursday slammed the President's address to Parliament as "lifeless, dull and directionless".

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BJP also said NDA would insist on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation over the Supreme Court verdict on Bihar Assembly dissolution.

"The President's address was lifeless, dull and directionless. It contained only hollow promises, contrary to facts," BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman VK Malhotra told reporters in New Delhi.

Alleging that the address was an "exercise in repetition" whether it be on the Right to Information, Employment Guarantee Scheme, Bharat Nirman or welfare of women and children, he said, "there is not a single new thing or a new direction".

"That explains the mutes response to the address. Even the occasional applause appeared to be forced," he said.

He, however, said there was a "lot of minorityism" whether it be the Justice Rajender Sachar committee, the ministry of Minority affairs or the 15-point programme for minority welfare.

"Not even during Nehru's time had so much of minorityism been practised," he said.

The BJP, he said, would raise during Zero Hour on Friday the issue of Muslim headcount in armed forces. Slamming the Government's stand on the issue as "preposterous and atrocious", he demanded immediate withdrawal of the survey.