Addressing a public rally in Sector 40 here today, in support of the local BJP candidate Krishan Lal Sharma, Dhumal highlighted the sacrifices of Kargil martyrs and raised public emotions by narrating incidents of families of the martyrs from HP, saying that the victory could be only achieved under the able leadership of Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Dhumal held the Congress responsible for Indian soldiers killed in the IPKF operation and other such operations.

Blaming the Congress for the fall of seven non-Congress governments at the Centre, Dhumal said it had no moral right to seek votes, as it had destabilised the country over the years. Dhumal also accused the Congress of having "no principles, no leadership, no programme and no policy." Adding that "it was a foreign woman who was first Congress president", Dhumal said, "the end of the Congress will also be brought about by a foreign woman, who is its president now.

Stressing on the importance of each vote, he called upon the residents of Chandigarh to utilise their vote in favour of the BJP, saying that each vote counted. He also urged them to help make Vajpayee the PM, hoping that after the fall of his earlier governments, after 13 days and 13 months, Vajpayee would remain in power for the next 13 years this time. Talking about K.L. Sharma, Dhumal said Chandigarh could not get a better candidate. And highlighted the achievements of the Vajpayee government.

Panchkula: Earlier, addressing a rally at Barwala, near here, in support of INLD-BJP joint candidate Rattan Lal Kataria for the Ambala Lok Sabha constituency, Dhumal blamed the Congress for frequent elections in the country, which he said, involved major expenditure and affected the poor. Dhumal spoke about the achievements of the BJP government and specifically highlighted the nuclear tests and the Kargil conflict.

Dhumal said while Sonia Gandhi couldn't learn Hindi despite the fact that she has been in this country for the last thirty years, Sushma Swaraj managed to learn Kannada in three days in Bellary and addressed a public meeting in this language at Bellary. The INLD state general secretary, Pardeep Chaudhary, also spoke on the occasion. Though the rally evoked a mixed response, a large number of BJP and INLD supporters had gathered at the venue much before the CM reached: more than an hour behind schedule.