The Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), the saffron parivar’s economic wing, is going videshi with a series of global fairs aimed at taking its message to a global audience.The SJM has kicked off the global push with a seven-day fair in Kuala Lumpur. Interestingly, almost all BJP-led state governments, except Gujarat, have thrown their weight behind the SJM’s maiden foreign venture that began on December 2 at the Cheras Stadium in the Malaysian capital.The event, Prasar Bharat Malaysia, is being organised under the banner of the Centre for Bharatiya Marketing Development (CBMD), a unit of the SJM. Several leaders of the SJM are on the management board of CBMD.‘‘The Government of Chhattisgarh is our official partner for the event. And since Jharkhand is the focus of the fair, it has booked huge space at our pavilion in Kuala Lumpur,’’ Ashutosh Singh, regional coordinator of the event, told The Indian Express. The Rajasthan government, which has been routinely skipping major tourism events like the International Travel Mart (ITM), has sent a contingent of its tourism department to showcase its potential in Malaysia. Its industries department has booked five stalls at the fair. The Rajasthan Small Industries Corporation is also among the participants.‘‘This is an exclusive show of Indian strength and services. We want to make the people in Malaysia aware of the handicrafts, arts and tourism potential of the participating states,’’ Singh said.He denied that only the saffron-ruled states were part of the fair. ‘‘The Indian High Commission in Malaysia is supporting the event. Malaysian Tourism and its chamber of commerce is also part of it,’’ he said. “Even states like Uttar Pradesh have sent their teams for the event,” he said. Chhattisgarh's delegation is led by Chief Minister Raman Singh while Jharkhand has sent a team of three IAS officers including Industry Secretary Santosh Kumar Satpathy.Satpathy, talking to The Indian Express from Kuala Lumpur, said the response to the fair has been good. ‘‘People are turning up at our stalls,’’ he said. The cost of one stall ranges from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh and the Jharkhand government is learnt to have paid the SJM about Rs 50 lakh. But one BJP-ruled state is certainly not there—Gujarat. According to Hasmukh Adhia, principal secretary to the Gujarat Chief Minister, no representative from Gujarat is being sent to the trade fair. Principal Secretary (industries) D Rajagopalan said he has not received any invitation or proposal. The SJM’s international march will continue over the next few months. Singh said a series of international fairs in southeast Asia and Mauritius are also on the agenda. Its industries department has booked five stalls at the fair. The Rajasthan Small Industries Corporation is also among the participants.‘‘This is an exclusive show of Indian strength and services. We want to make the people in Malaysia aware of the handicrafts, arts and tourism potential of the participating states,’’ Singh said.He denied that only the saffron-ruled states were part of the fair. ‘‘The Indian High Commission in Malaysia is supporting the event. Malaysian Tourism and its chamber of commerce is also part of it,’’ he said. “Even states like Uttar Pradesh have sent their teams for the event,” he said.Chhattisgarh's delegation is led by Chief Minister Raman Singh while Jharkhand has sent a team of three IAS officers including Industry Secretary Santosh Kumar Satpathy.
