Though the Congressmen, led by senior leaders, responded to the Pradesh Congress Committee call for rallies in all the 68 Assembly constituencies, the response was not very impressive. However, the party leaders were not disappointed and described it as good beginning of a battle against the BJP-HVC ``misrule''. In Hamirpur, the local Congress unit rescheduled the rallies for March 5. In Shimla, former chief minister and CLP leader Virbhadra Singh led the procession, along with senior partymen like former chief minister Ram Lal Thakur, PCC general secretary Harbhajan Singh Bhajji, Mayor Manoj Kumar, PCC chief's political aide Vineet Gautam, MLA Harsh Mahajan and youth activists.

The police were deployed at the venue to prevent violation of prohibitory orders.

DHARAMSALA: Party workers led by PCC president Sat Mahajan, took out a procession through the main streets of the town at Dharamsala today, in protest against the hike in power tariff, anti-people budget presented by the Vajpayee government, unemployment, and price hike of essential commodities supplied through the public distribution system.

Among the speakers, were party chief Sat Mahajan, Vikram Mahajan, former Union minister, Chandresh Kumari, Rajya Sabha member, Vikram Singh Katoch, ex-chairman Agro Industries.

They criticised the Vajpayee Government at the Centre and the state government led by Prem Kumar Dhumal. They said that the chief minister only inaugurated projects and schemes which were approved and stated by the Congress government.

Sat Mahajan, while addressing the rally, questioned the chief minister on the employment opportunities generated in Kangra and blamed him for transferring the employees who had a soft corner for the Congress. He also asked him to explain how many new schemes had been launched during his one-year term.

Chanderesh Kumari criticised the Vajpayee government for ignoring women so far as the question of reservation for women was concerned.The party workers also held protest rallies at the sub-division and block levels. They also blocked traffic for some time and reports of burning effigies poured into the district headquarters.

Later, the senior leaders held a joint press conference at Dharamsala. Those who participated in the conference included Sat Mahajan, Chandresh Kumari, G. S. Bali, Vijay Singh Mankotia, Vikram Katoch.

The party chief claimed that the rallies at Nagrota Bagwan, Shahpur, Jawali, and Dharamsala were a great success. It was jointly addressed by all. He said the Congress had come on the roads for the first time after a long time.Mahajan held Prem Kumar Dhumal responsible for forcing the Congress party to initiate such a step by making it a prestige issue.

He said that the Congress men have gone on agitation throughout the state unitedly and all sections of people were present.

He said that his party would take on the BJP government unitedly and further said that CLP was going to take up the issues of unemployment, price-rise, lawlessness and promises made in its manifesto in the Vidhan Sabha in the interest of the people.

G.S.Bali, joint secretary and the representative of people in Bagwan Nagrota demanded the resignations of the ministers belonging to the OBC over the issue of 27 per cent reservation and also offered to quit the post of MLA if the concerned ministers resigned.

He also demanded a white paper on the irregularities committed in the purchase of potato seeds.

Bali also criticised the government for the pick and choose policy in employment and irregular and back door entry into the service.

Mankotia said that it was a positive development that the PCC president had personally led the procession in Dharamsala.

The protest rallies also helped in giving a clear-cut message to all that the leadership of the Congress is totally united on the aim to highlight the double-faced anti-people policies of the BJP government and to start a mass movement throughout the state to bring down the inefficient, incapable and corrupt government.

He made it clear that Sonia Gandhi would be installed as the prime minister of India and no vaccum would be allowed to continue if Dhumal fell down. He said that the experiment of coalition government had failed.

NAHAN: District Congress Committee and members of Congress party, led by Congress MLA Kush Parmar, took out a procession in the town against price rise and presented a memorandum to DC Sirmaur to forward the same to Chief Minister Himachal Pradesh.

UNA: Una block Congress Committee today organised a rally in front of the mini-secretariats and presented a memorandum addressed to the Governor to the Deputy Commissioner. According to MLA Virender Gautam and Avinash Kapila general Secretary of district Congress Committee, the people of the state have been compelled to bear the undue burden of increasing prices of essential items and those supplied under the public distribution system. About 200 party workers carrying banners and shouting slogans, took out a procession through the bazar.

Meanwhile, District Yuva Morcha President Virender Kanwar and convenor of BJP media cell Puran Lal Sharma have strongly criticised the Congress propaganda and said that the price rise is a result of the faulty Congress polices of the previous governments at the Centre and said that Congress had no major issue against the Centre and state governments and only wanted to create confusion in the mind of the general public.

Reports of similar rallies and procession have also come in from Bangana, Santosharh and Gagrel constituencies.