When the Congress lost three state governments in the Hindi heartland- Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan-in the December assembly elections, it seemed the party had lost its sole brahmastra: the governance card. At a Congress Working Committee meeting that followed, former finance minister Manmohan Singh rued that if the five-year NDA rule had destroyed the Congress' stability card, with the rout in the three states, the party had irretrievably lost its governance card too.

PROMISE TIME: Economic Vision document being released

Last week, it sought to make amends. Days after party chief Sonia Gandhi released its poll manifesto, it released yet another document, "Economic Growth: the Congress Agenda". The motive: to reclaim the governance card. "The Congress is the party that can provide true good governance," the document said. Published a week after the release of the party manifesto, the thrust of the agenda was economic growth. For all, particularly for the poor. And there is more on the anvil: two documents focusing on national security and social empowerment.

Manifestos, everyone knows, are all about promises and pious intentions. Then why is a manifesto followed by three more documents? Insiders say the real motive is to counter the general belief that all the credit for the "feel-good" factor goes to the BJP and to highlight the Congress' pioneering role in initiating economic reforms. Six years ago, it wasn't quite the same. After the drubbing it received in the 1996 elections, the Congress manifestos of the following general elections went on the back foot on liberalisation. Now that everyone is happy with market reforms, the party sees no harm in claiming the credit.

The document assures Indian industry that there will be no visitation of licence permit raj days. It talks of ending all hurdles to investment. While speaking for the poor, it also wants to compete with the BJP for the middle-class vote. "We want the middle class to prosper with access to the amenities of life," the agenda says.

Curiously, the only point it has conceded to the BJP Government is the growth in the telecom sector. "Telecom indicators may have improved." With telecom guru Sam Pitroda as Congress campaigner, the party sees an opportunity to credit Rajiv Gandhi for India's telecom revolution.

-By Lakshmi Iyer