There are similarities of vision but the NCP differs in some fundamental ways too - it wants the integrity of Article 370 to be maintained, it will not talk of a nuclear doctrine but an integrated defence policy based on a security doctrine, strategic state intervention to take the pinch off the economic liberalisation policies, separate ministries for minorities and women, true autonomy for Prasar Bharati Corporation and law for an independent Broadcasting Authority.

The NCP's national manifesto was released by party president Sharad Pawar and general secretary P A Sangma here on Monday with the latter explaining at length the party's holistic vision for the country; also that the party has drafted aseparate manifesto with a 25-year perspectives planning for the North-east. The 74-page document would read like a vision but the focus was naturally on the first two points. "We suggested a fixed term mainly to address the issue of instability. We have had seven governments and seven prime ministers in the last few years," said Sangma.

Both he and Pawar made light of the issue saying either the fixed term or the foreign origin issue did not involve Constitutional amendments. "For the fixed term, it's a question of deleting four words. That's all. It already states that the term of the Lok Sabha shall be for five years unless otherwise dissolved earlier. We want to delete the last four words," explained Sangma.

Among the models considered are the Scandinavian model where the Parliament elects a Prime Minister who seeks a majority and only then is given the oath of office unlike the the other way round in our model; this Prime Minister cannot be removed unless the Parliament elects an alternative PM, headded.

On the foreign origin issue, Pawar explained that the NCP was not seeking a Constitutional amendment since the legal opinion they sought had told them that it was not necessary. "All we need is to change the Citizenship Act and the Representation of People Act, both of which can be done by a simple majority," he said.

The manifesto calls for a separate and exclusive satellite for defence intelligence, an exclusive and permanent Pay Commission for defence forces, a comprehensive national agricultural policy to take Green Revolution into the Gangetic East, Brahmaputra Valley and central India, enactment of a Competition Law and creation of anti-dumping authority for industry, creation of an independent Railways Safety Regulation Commission and creation of an All India Judicial Service on the lines of other civil services.

It also calls for population control but with voluntary involvement of people, one per cent GDP allocation to nutrition-related programmes and six per cent GDP allocation toeducation. "The Congress under its present leadership has forfeited its right to continue to claim the legacy of the stalwarts and veterans of our freedom movement...the country is looking for truly secular and modern alternative to the Congress which believes in perpetuating dynastic rule. The NCP shall provide this alternative," states the manifesto.

And, as if to reassert his distance from the BJP, Pawar stated yet again that the NCP will have not truck with the BJP in any way. Never mind that their manifestos speak a similar language on two issues that have become the election issues.