BJP top brass hits the campaign trail in Himachal

Ramping up its election campaign in Himachal Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday targeted the Congress governments at the Centre and state for 'betraying' the common man by failing to check price rise and for 'divisive' vote bank politics.

Its senior leaders Rajnath Singh, L K Advani, M Venkaiah Naidu, Sushma Swaraj and chief ministerial candidate P K Dhumal went to the hustings for the second phase of 65 assembly constituencies, asking people to oust the Virbhadra Singh regime.

"The United Progressive Alliance government and the ministry in Shimla have betrayed the common man by failing to check spiralling prices of essential goods. They should be thrown out," Advani said addressing a rally in Kullu, the second home of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Accusing the Congress of being 'drunk' on vote bank politics, BJP president Rajnath Singh said in Solan, "Even its developmental plans are guided by religious considerations. It is trying to divide the country on religion".

The leaders also pilloried the Manmohan Singh government for 'surrendering the country's interest' to the United States on the nuclear deal, while the BJP chief alleged the state government had failed on all fronts, increasing corruption in the Dev Bhoomi (land of the gods).

Addressing a rally at Nurpur in Kangra district with former chief minister Shanta Kumar, Sushma Swaraj said, "Sonia Gandhi (Congress president) had recently said she has no magic wand to check price rise. The National Democratic Alliance government under Vajpayee also did not have any magic wand, but it never allowed a price spiral".

Swaraj accused the Virbhadra regime of not fulfilling poll promises or generating employment opportunities for the youth. "The CD on the chief minister and the vulgar birthday party of former minister G S Bali sums up its performance," she said.\

Her colleague Venkiah Naidu, accompanied by Dhumal, said, "The slow growth of the country can be attributed to the rule of one family. Had Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel become prime minister in place of Jawaharlal Nehru, the fate of the country could have been different".

Alleging that the UPA government was bowing before the US on the nuclear issue, former BJP president Murli Manohar Joshi told voters at Paonta Sahib in Sirmaur, "The future BJP government at the Centre will review the decision if the Congress signs the deal".