Likely to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, the mela is intended to be a showcase of Indian industry. Apart from village, small-sale and cottage industries, big business houses and government-run undertakings will also to take part in the mega-event.

Like the Sangh Parivar's earlier ventures, this too has a heady mix of nationalism and politics. But unlike its other projects, this will be the first to be run professionally and made ``financially viable.''

The CBMD, according to P Muralidhar Rao, Swadeshi Jagaran Manch national organiser and the man behind the show, will take its operations beyond the mela. ``It will create powerful forces in differentsectors of the economy to protect the interests of village, small-scale and cottage industries and various occupations,'' he said.

The mela, according to him, is not just a trade fair. ``Through this, the SJM wants to position itself from where it can give directions to trade and industry, apart from achieving general trade fair objectives,'' Rao observed.

The CBMD, he said, was set up as a counterforce to the MNC onslaught. ``At present, no organisation protects the interests of village, small-scale and cottage industries, as is the case with large industries,'' he said.

The RSS apparently wants to create a lobby for such industries on the lines of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), so that their interests are taken up at the highest level in an organised manner.

This apart, it is also aimed at establishing a marketing network for such industries. ``Indian industry has traditionally been weak in marketing strategies as they are unable to face the financial and brand strengths of the MNCs,''he said, adding, ``The CBMD will work out the marketing strategies to help domestic industry and also try to find out the loopholes and negative strategies of MNCs so as to blunt their penetration.''

The project has political overtones, too. ``Village industries are more often than not operated by the backward sections such as the goldsmiths, weavers, fishermen and blacksmiths. By taking up the cause of small and cottage industries, the RSS will be consolidating its hold on these sections,'' he claimed.

The RSS has drawn out a plan to employ its cadres as well as those of its front organisations such as the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad in this exercise. ``Those who have graduated from different management and engineering schools will be motivated to take up these networking programmes,'' he said.

Besides members of other front organisations, BJP members of Parliament such as Rita Verma and Virendra Singh have also been roped in to propagate the idea.