Kolkata: Book stalls in Kolkata’s Jadavpur area were vandalised by right-wing supporters on Saturday, October 18, during the ongoing Durga pooja celebrations.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation arrived with a bulldozer to remove the stalls, even as residents and students vehemently opposed the move.
The book stalls are set up by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Speaking to The Telegraph, CPI(M) leader Sudip Sengupta expressed grave concerns over the move. “We have permission from the Kolkata Police, the corporation and for the electricity consumed at the stall. But even after that, there were attempts to clear the site.”
He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of fearing leftist ideologies and their books. “The BJP-RSS regime fears books because it fears ideas. It fears the history of people’s struggles, the ideas of equality and justice, and the spirit of resistance that no bulldozer can crush.”
CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said the attack was an attack on Bengali Hindus. “They are the enemies of Bengali Hindus. The attackers are afraid of books and democratic thoughts, and that is why they vandalised the bookstalls,” the former Jadavpur MP said.
In September, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had asked Durga Puja committees not to allow CPI(M) bookstalls outside pandals if they used the term ‘Sharodotsav‘ (autumn festival) instead of ‘Durga Puja’ to describe the festival.
RSS Jishnu Basu said on Monday said that the attacks were carried out by those who claim to have an allegiance to the saffron brigade. “Left parties have the right to set up bookstalls, unless they are indulging in any act that may endanger a life. They are cowards,” he said sarcastically.
Hang my head in shame: Minister
West Bengal Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta said vandalism of bookstalls was “no way right”, asserting that freedom of thought and expression could not be curtailed.
Dasgupta, a senior BJP leader, said freedom of thought cannot be curtailed in any way. The Left Front, which was once the dominant force in the state and now struggling for relevance, had every right to put up a bookstall, he said.
“I have seen the Left parties’ stalls during pujas for 30 to 40 years. They do not draw a huge crowd, but they set them up,” he told a vernacular TV channel.
“Yes, they are atheists, ideologically. But so what? I cannot support hooliganism on that excuse,” he said.
“Whether it is a book by Lenin, Marx or anyone else, people who want to put forward their views should be allowed to do so. It is like TV channels. There can be 30 of them, but the remote is in your hand. Whether to read or not is your choice,” he said.
“It hangs my head in shame. Who are they? Who gave them the responsibility? What is their authority?” he asked.
Describing himself as a staunch opponent of the Left, Dasgupta said he saw little relevance in Marxist literature today, but it remained a historical document. “If someone wants to read it, let them,” he said.
Asked whether he felt ashamed over the episode, he said, “Yes, because I have been associated with the BJP for a long time, and we have always worked with a moral superiority, that we do not do such things. It is a ‘party with a difference’, as (Lal Krishna) Advaniji used to say.”
Dasgupta pointed out that the BJP was the only party to oppose the ban on Salman Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses”. He said the BJP also protested when Taslima Nasreen was driven out of Kolkata and welcomed her back to the city when it got the chance.
“I have personally organised a programme for her. Taslima is also an atheist. I do not agree with everything she says, but I uphold her right to say it with dignity. I see attacks on books in the same light,” he said.
(With PTI inputs)
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