NEW DELHI, JAN 25: The setting for the latest slanging match between party and parent body was one touted to be a ground for a happy truce between the forces - the Swadeshi Mela. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee lunged at hardliners for misleading the country by alleging that the BJP-led Government was bowing to foreign pressure while inaugurating the Mela.Present at the inauguration of the Swadeshi Mela, hyped as the Sangh Parivar's stepping-stone into the world of business, at Pragati Maidan were BJP general-secretary K N Govindacharya, Swadeshi Jagaran Manch leaders co-convenor S Gurumurthy and organiser P Murlidhar Rao, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Mahesh Chandra Sharma (all Swadeshi hardliners), RSS joint general-secretary K S Sudarshan, Union Ministers L K Advani, Sikandar Bakht, Pramod Mahajan and Khadi and Village Industries Commission chairman Mahesh Sharma.The Prime Minister chose the opportunity to set the record straight. Taking a subtle dig at the economic policy hardliners, he said: ``There isan apprehension in the minds of people that the Government is buckling under foreign pressure. This is wrong. We have the capability to withstand any pressure, as is evident by our decision to go in for the Pokhran nuclear tests. We were aware of its international fallout, but preferred to accord top priority to the nation's security.''He then remarked in his inimitable style: ``Bharat ko kharidne wala koi mai ka lal paida nahin hua, aur Bharat ko bechne wala kapoot bhi Bharat Ma ki kokh se paida nahin ho sakta hai (There is no one born who can buy India, nor is there anyone who can sell her).''Vajpayee also referred to persistent rumours about the imminent arrival of the East India Company. ``There is no substance in these allegations. The foreign power could then enslave India because we were divided. Today we are one, ready to face any challenge,'' he remarked.He then imparted the parting shot. ``I know my decision to inaugurate the Swadeshi Mela has caused a lot of ripples. People who arerunning the SJM are all my friends,'' he said, adding, `` We'll seek their help wherever possible. In areas where our views don't meet, we'll just say sorry. We may have differences of opinion, but our goals are the same.''But the Prime Minister did say things which were music to the Swadeshi hardliners. ``The feeling of Swadeshi has to be kept afloat in order to make the country self-reliant and confident. We have to stand on our own legs. It is only through our own labour, efforts and mutual cooperation that we can achieve this,'' he pointed out.Vajpayee also sought to pass the buck on previous governments for the economic ills plaguing the country. ``Problems which should have been solved in the last 50 years or those which were created during this period will have to be removed. We did not start on a clean slate when we assumed power,'' he observed.Earlier, SJM co-convenor S Gurumurthy took up cudgels on behalf of the Swadeshi hardliners. ``There is need for a very intellectual debate on thecontent of the economic reforms and also on the economic laws which were forced upon the country on the basis of western models,'' he remarked, adding that the debate could not be postponed any more.According to him, the SJM was not against liberalisation and globalisation. ``But it has to be in tune with the country's needs and requirements,'' he said, adding, ``We have to decide what is relevant for our country.''
