Kunal Ghosh visits CPM bookstall in Jadavpur after alleged bulldozer demolition attempt

Trinamool Congress MLA Kunal Ghosh visited a CPM bookstall in Jadavpur on Sunday, a day after local residents allegedly prevented an attempt to demolish the stall using a bulldozer. Ghosh, the TMC legislator from Beleghata, purchased a book titled ‘Amader Chairman’, written about veteran CPM leader Biman Bose. CPM leader Shatarup Ghosh accompanied him during the visit.

The alleged attempt to demolish the stall has triggered a political controversy in West Bengal, with opposition leaders accusing the ruling establishment of targeting Left organisations and their bookstalls during the Durga Puja festivities.

‘Visiting the stall felt like a duty’: Kunal Ghosh

Explaining his visit, Kunal Ghosh said that although he and the Left leaders belonged to different political parties, they had known each other for a long time. He added that he had visited several Puja venues over the years and was familiar with many people associated with the stall.

“Our politics may be different, but we have known each other for a long time. I have visited several Puja venues here over the years. I read Marxist literature and also keep publications and literature from the SUCI, apart from those of the CPM. I may belong to a different party, but what is good about this stall is that it offers not just Marxist literature but also books of good taste from other genres,” Ghosh said.

He added that he had been visiting the bookstall for years and might not have come this time had the controversy not arisen.

“But when I saw that an attempt was being made to demolish it through what appeared to be an unusual display of state power, I felt that coming here was my duty,” he said.

Shatarup Ghosh compares incident to authoritarianism

CPM leader Shatarup Ghosh criticised the alleged attempt to demolish the bookstall, drawing a comparison with authoritarian regimes and their treatment of books.

“Almost 100 years after Hitler's downfall, nobody in the world could have imagined that there would once again be a state power that would use bulldozers to demolish a bookstall and bring a garbage vehicle to carry away books,” he said.

Left parties traditionally set up bookstalls near Durga Puja pandals during the festive season. The latest controversy has emerged amid a wider political dispute over whether Left organisations should be permitted to operate such stalls at Puja venues.

Row over Left bookstalls during Durga Puja

The issue had also figured in recent remarks by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. She had urged Durga Puja committees not to allow stalls run by what she described as “so-called Communists” if they did not use the term ‘Durga Puja’ instead of ‘Sharadotsav’.

Subsequently, a hoarding by the Kamar Danga Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samiti in Entally surfaced, warning that Left organisations would not be allowed to set up stalls during the festivities. The latest allegations of obstruction at the Jadavpur bookstall have added to the controversy.

CPM state secretary Mohammed Salim said attempts had been made to vandalise, set fire to or attack Left party and organisational bookstalls at several locations, including Kasba, Howrah, Behala, Birati, Bhatpara and Naihati.

“We will resist these attempts. No ruling party can stop people from reading books, printing books or selling books,” Salim said.