In a 16-page election manifesto released by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Monday, the NDA said the national agenda for governance constituted the basis of their commitment to a stable government to take India into the new millennium.

The manifesto includes a whole gamut of issues like eradication of unemployment, food security, price stability, health and drinking water, education for all, housing for everyone, empowerment of women, harnessing `yuva shakti' (youth power), among others, amid promise of fulfilling all commitments made earlier.

The document indirectly brings the foreign origin issue of Sonia Gandhi and promises to bring a legislation reserving "high offices of state -- legislative, executive and judiciary" for only the naturally born Indian citizens.

In yet another landmark pledge, theNDA manifesto says it shall appoint a commission to review the Constitution of India "not only in the light of experiences and developments since 1996 but, indeed, of the entire post-Independence period" and to make suitable recommendations. Even the powers and functions of the President could come in for a review, the Prime Minister indicated in response to a query.

It pledged to take measures to ensure a fixed term of five years for all elected bodies, including Parliament. "We will also examine replacing the present no confidence motion with the German system of constructive vote of non-confidence", it added.

The NDA also promised to set up a backward area commission for each state, a committee to study the feasibility of treating all 19 languages as official languages, apart from a national judicial commission which will recommend judicial appointments in high courts and the Supreme court and draw up a code of ethics for the judiciary.

Among the other populist measures it pledges to initiateinclude enactment of a Lok Pal Bill with adequate powers to deal with corruption charges in high places, giving statehood to Delhi, Uttaranchal, Vananchal and Chhatisgarh, right of franchise to armed forces through proxy voting, continuance of reservation in jobs for SC/ST and backward classes.

The NDA will review the Prasar Bharti Act to bring about a comprehensive broadcasting act to regulate private broadcasting and to protect Indian interests. "We will restrict foreign equity holding in private TV to 20 per cent to avoid emergence of monopolies in the media", it says.

The salient points of commitment are: