Cooperate with govt: PM to SJM

In the wake of its criticism of the central government's economic policies, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Tuesday urged the Swadeshi Jagran Manch to redefine its role and cooperate with the government instead of criticising it.

"One should look at the whole picture instead of viewing it in parts," Vajpayee said at the inauguration of the 'Swadeshi Mela 2003' at the Somaiya Trust ground in Mumbai.

"The progress of the nation is always of paramount importance. We should join hands to solve the problems confronting the nation and to take it on to the path of self-sufficiency and self-reliance," he said.

Referring to India's growing self-reliance in the field of defence, Vajpayee said displaying the 'Brahmos' missile during the Republic Day parade had invited several purchase-related queries from other countries.

"If we can buy weapons from foreign countries, we can also sell them abroad," he asserted.