Expressing dissatisfaction with the President's address, BJP today said it was merely a "grocery list" of the government's programmes and had left out several crucial issues like how the UPA regime intends to deal with corruption, price rise and economy.

"We have a lot of respect for the President but we are commenting against his address as it is prepared by the government. The President's address cannot be a grocery list of government's programmes... Neither reflects the state of the country nor the mood of the nation," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters at a press conference here.

The main opposition party alleged that President Pranab Mukherjee's speech did not convey what was the government's agenda or strategy for dealing with issues like price rise and corruption.

Prasad said the address only enumerated several government programmes including some which are not so significant. "There was no mention of government strategy or agenda for containing corruption. This is very important as every Parliament session is preceded by a scam. The government had earlier insisted it wants to check corruption," he said.

He alleged that the CBI is not being provided files in its probe into the coal allocation scam.

"In the helicopter scam it is clear that bribes were paid and who has paid them. But is not yet clear who is the recipient of the slush money," Prasad said.

Asked what kind of a probe the BJP wants on the issue, Prasad said its main concern is that the investigations should not be an excuse to delay the matter.

"Whether the probe should be conducted by the CBI or monitored by the Supreme Court or a Special Investigation Team or a JPC should investigate the issue is a matter of detail. But we do not want it to be delayed by two-three years," Prasad said.

The main opposition party, however, said it is yet to firm up its view on what kind of probe should be held into the VIP helicopter scam and will discuss it with other parties.

"We are clear that government should not try to buy time on the issue. We want the government to come out with a formal view on what kind of probe it is ready for. Just Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath saying government ready for a JPC probe is not enough," Prasad said.

BJP rued that there was no mention of how government intends to curb price rise.

"This may be the last formal presidential Address of this government. Yet unfortunately the speech was a grocery list. There is nothing about any strategy on how the government plans to make the economy look up," Prasad said.

On the issue of Indo-Pakistan relations, which found mention in the speech, Prasad asked the government if its priority is good relations with Islamabad or fighting terrorism.

To a query on Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde's Hindu terror remarks and the regret expressed by him, Prasad said, "It would have been better if he had said sorry. We can understand the pain of the RSS. But an unconditional regret is equivalent to an apology. However, the Home Minister should have expressed regret earlier. The delay led elements like JuD chief Hafiz Saeed to welcome it in Pakistan."

He clarified that BJP will not stall the House on this issue.

Another BJP leader, Murli Manohar Joshi, described Mukherjee's speech as one that did not "look like a Presidential speech especially as it came from an august personality like Pranab babu."

He said Mukherjee is known for delivering wonderful speeches. "To hear a presidential speech from him did not give that flavour which is expected out of him," Joshi told reporters outside Parliament House.

Earlier in the day, BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy told reporters that Mukherjee's address to Parliament was a "damp squib".

"It is a damp squib as it has not actually touched what is relevant today and we are very disappointed," Rudy told reporters outside Parliament after the President's address.

He also dubbed the address as a "old one".

"I think he read the old speech because there was nothing new thing in the speech," Rudy said.