Both sides are palpably embarrassed about sharing a platform. After last month's showdown over the Insurance Bill, there is too much bad blood between them for a reconciliation.

A prime ministerial aide dismissed any discomfiture, saying the programme was fixed more than two months ago. Swadeshi Jagran Manch's all India organiser, Murlidhar Rao, was more transparent. ``It will send a signal to the people that the leaders of the swadeshi movement are not irresponsible,'' he said. The compulsions of mutual benefit have forced a halt in the hostilities, at least till the Mela ends.

If, to keep his government running, Vajpayee has decided to humour his swadeshi opponents by lending his name to the exposition, the hawks too are reaping the benefits of having the BJP inpower. Three government bodies - the Khadi & Village Industries Commission, the National Small Industries Corporation and CAPART - have bailed out the organisers with large-scale bookings, rescuing them from the ignominy of being cold-shouldered by the captains of Indian industry whose achievements were to be showcased in the six-day Mela.

What seems to have kept the corporate sector, the mainstay of any trade fair, away is the swadeshi tag. The label has become too hot to handle given its controversial political overtones after the battle over the Insurance Bill. The Birlas, for example, politely declined to participate. So did the Thapars. Efforts are still on to get TELCO to display the great Indian auto hope, Indica. But with just three days to go, the organisers are not very optimistic.

The most successful symbol of swadeshi industry, the Reliance Group, confirmed its participation only two days ago, that too after much hemming and hawing. ``We are disappointed that they have booked only 200 sq.metres of space,'' admitted Swadeshi Jagran Manch's all India organiser, Murlidhar Rao. ``It doesn't match up to their size. But we are trying to get them to sponsor a cultural event.''

The list of corporate participants does not compare to the glowing copy in advertisements for the Mela which boasted of the successes of companies like TELCO and Ranbaxy. Apart from Reliance, the best known names in the lineup are Bajaj Auto, BPL, TVS Suzuki, Videocon and Parle.

The public sector undertakings have been more forthcoming, but again in a limited way with just two navratnas, SAIL and MTNL, agreeing to put up stalls.

Rao explained the lukewarm response by saying, ``We approached everybody but maybe we were not fully successful because we could not talk to all personally.'' He added that given the fact that work on the Mela started just six months ago, the participation level more than matched their expectations. ``We have booked six halls in Pragati Maidan and we are thinking of booking one more because weare still getting orders,'' he said.

However, he conceded that more than 60 per cent of the space had been taken by constituents of KVIC, NSIC and CAPART. In fact, the KVIC, with swadeshi activist MP Mahesh Sharma as chairman, is the main sponsor of the Mela.

The irony is not lost on the BJP which is bearing the brunt of the Sangh's anger for the Government's economic policies. Party circles maintain that the organisers were hard-pressed for participants till the BJP leadership stepped in to help. Rao denied this, saying, ``If the Government had helped us, we would have had to book the whole of Pragati Maidan.