Congress manifesto on March 22

The Congress manifesto will now come out on March 22 and will be a "snazzily designed" document that will be "pro-poor, will strike a blow in favour of the poorer states" and will favour progressive foreign direct investment policies that would be good for the country as a whole, not just a particular class, top sources in the Manifesto Committee of the Congress said.

One face of the all-new smarter version of the Congress was revealed on the party's refurbished website that was launched yesterday.

The website is a total audio-visual experience that projects Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi to the hilt. It proclaims that in Priyanka viewers can see Indira and in Rahul they can see Rajiv.

It has speeches of Congress presidents, audio tracks of interviews given by Congress Prime Ministers and jingles to accompany short films.

The Congress e-campaign rivals the BJP's, launched earlier. The website also has an account of the achievements of Congress-ruled states and the policies followed by them, like the steps taken to promote the 15-point agenda for minorities.

Critics of the Congress have alleged that the party is all talk and no work especially on implementing policies for the minorities.

In keeping with the soft launch of a new edition of the Congress, party sources say that though it will project a pro-poor appeal, it will not allow itself to be turned into a clone of the Left parties which are the staunchest allies of the Congress today.

"You will see a more pragmatic Congress" sources said. More FDI will be favoured for the general good of India. VAT will get the party's full support, disregarding Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit cavilling at VAT.

Cross subsidisation of state revenues by rich states in favour of poorer states will be favoured by the party, although Karnataka Chief Minister SM Krishna had opposed this on the grounds that better run states would have to pay the price for non-performance of some states.

The party's vision document will explain how the BJP's mismanagement of the economy had resulted in a loss of potential growth of 12 per cent.

Lack of consistency in economic policy was driving away foreign direct investment into the country. Even neighbouring Pakistan had received more FDI, the document is likely to say. It will also take the credit for five revolutions -- green, white, IT, atomic and space.

Bappi beats for party songs

To match Kumar Sanu, the Congress will unleash its own singer: the King of Glitter, Bappi Lahiri, and his son Bhappa Lahiri.

The duo is likely to make a debut with Congress songs, later this week. Bhappa Lahiri is reported to have been launched as a movie star and in pursuance of his new vocation, is learnt to have changed his name.