Dehradun, Sep 8 (IANS) Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president and senior leader L.K. Advani, addressing the party's national executive meet here Friday, accused the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of failing to contain corruption and criminalisation of politics.

"The government has failed on two major fronts - corruption and criminalisation of politics," said the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha.

"The biggest challenge the country faces is a dynastic rule under Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Only the BJP can restore democratic forces in the country," Advani told the party meet.

He also criticised Gandhi as well as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for failing to join the singing of Vande Mataram on Thursday when the nation celebrated the culmination of yearlong centennial celebrations of the national song.

The former deputy prime minister's half-hour speech in the evening session of the second day of the three-day meet, however, failed to enthuse a section of the party.

"The party's downslide cannot be checked by raising the same old issues which now fail to appeal to either the party workers or even common people," a senior member of the national executive told IANS.

"We need to have a new look, new vision. The assembly polls in five states are round the corner. We were expecting that Advani as a senior leader of the party would set the tone and direction of the election campaign for days to come," said a member of the national executive from Uttar Pradesh.

BJP activists are now looking forward to hear former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

The party's senior-most leader is scheduled to address the national executive Saturday, the final day of meet.