New Delhi, Oct 2 (IANS): Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate, said Wednesday the United Progressive Alliance government at the centre was out of sync with the pulse of the nation.

He claimed that the ordinance to shield convicted politicians was only brought in because the government had no notion of the sentiments of people.

"The government sitting in Delhi does not know the pulse of the nation, or they would not have brought an ordinance to shield convicted politicians," Modi said at an event here.

"No one wants to vote for criminals. The prime minister was also insulted in such a way that he lost his confidence to talk in the US," Modi said.

He said the nation wanted clean politics, and a government free of corruption.

An ordinance to shield convicted lawmakers approved by the union cabinet was withdrawn Wednesday. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had earlier publicly opposed the passage of the ordinance.