Sales at CPI(M) bookstores cross ₹1 million in 12 districts of West Bengal amid targeted attacks
The CPI(M), CPI(ML) Liberation, SUCI (Communist) and other Left parties have a decades-old tradition of setting up book stalls during the Durga Puja festivities. Credit: Facebook/CPI(M) West Bengal
Book stalls affiliated to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) witnessed record sales in West Bengal during Durga Puja. They sold books worth over ₹1 million, even as many of their stalls faced repeated attacks.
The CPI(M), CPI(ML) Liberation, SUCI (Communist) and other Left parties have a decades-old tradition of setting up book stalls during the Durga Puja festivities.
“People have shown immense resistance against hooliganism and attacks on book stalls. Miscreants have attacked more than 292 stalls in Bengal, but this has only helped us. Progress has increased and our sales have increased,” CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty told The Hindu on Saturday (October 24). He added that the basic Bengali reading culture cannot be changed by attacks.
On October 17, one of the CPI(M)’s biggest book stalls in Jadavpur, south Kolkata, was attacked when a bulldozer tried to raze it to the ground. Leftist leaders and citizens stood before the bulldozer and forced it to retreat.
Book stalls affiliated to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) witnessed record sales in West Bengal. Credit: Facebook/CPI(M) West Bengal
Meanwhile, pictures of a young man picking up Pather Dabi by Saratchandra Chattopadhyay from a CPI(M) book stall in North Kolkata’s Nagerbazaar have gone viral. As the man tore up the book, walked over it and shouted at stall workers, the old man could be seen trying to reason with him, pleading: “Don’t do it brother. Please don’t destroy the book. Books are for everyone.”
When the two visuals went viral on social media, opposition leaders and citizens began visiting the stalls in droves and posting about their experiences on social media, leading to a further increase in sales.
“It was about bulldozers vs. books, and people showed up for the books,” Mr. Chakraborty added.
“The ₹1 crore sales are from only 12 districts; the numbers will be higher when the sales figures come from the other 11 districts,” CPI(M) leader Satarup Ghosh said. He added that they have over 1,000 temporary book stalls across the state.
Huge solidarity
“I love books. As kids, the most exciting thing about Pujo was being gifted books from aunty, and I never thought the day would come when I would see government-sponsored attacks on books. So I bought books from stalls that were attacked,” said visual artist and cartoonist Bob. He also posted about his haul of books on social media.
“This time it wasn’t just about buying books. The state is now ruled by hooligans who fear free thought and favor the less educated population, I felt the need to stand in solidarity with those who continue to resist,” said Subha Deb, an avid reader.
Trinamool Congress MLA Kunal Ghosh and Congress State President Subhankar Sarkar were among the few opposition leaders who showed up at the stalls in solidarity.
The CPI(M) blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and other right-wing groups for the attacks. However, BJP State President Samik Bhattacharya condemned the attacks and said that people are using the party’s name for this vandalism.
RSS leader Jishnu Basu and BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta also condemned the attacks. Meanwhile, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari continued his verbal attacks on the book stalls.
Published – 24 Oct 2026 20:14 IST