West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday (October 20) said Left parties should sell books from their party offices in the state instead of setting up book stalls at Durga Puja pandals. "Those who do not believe in Durga Pujas or any other Pujas, it is better that they should not be allowed to sell books during Durga Puja. Keep the books inside your party offices, make a library and sell books from there. There are 4,000 to 5,000 party offices like palaces in the State and all of them are open," Mr. Adhikari said, according to The Hindu. Speaking to reporters, he also said, according to PTI: "We are all book lovers and are not against books. But if you do not offer pushpanjali or attend the Navami aarti, accept religious symbols such as the sacred thread and tilak, and oppose Sanatani Hindu traditions, why should you set up bookstalls in front of Durga Puja pandals?"

The Chief Minister said no one should take the law into their hands and that action by the administration was as per the directions of the Calcutta High Court, The Hindu reported. On Tuesday, the High Court refused to interfere in a case filed by the CPI(M) over attempts by the police to remove a temporary book stall set up by the party in Jadavpur during the festivities, noting that a division bench of the court had already dealt with a similar matter concerning a temporary book stall at Bongaon — where a single-judge bench had allowed the stall but a division bench led by Chief Justice R.V. Ghuge had stayed that order.

Book stalls set up by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the SUCI (Communist) have allegedly been attacked in various parts of the state, including in Kolkata. The CPI(M) has alleged that the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the police tried to remove its temporary bookstall in Jadavpur, and on October 17 supporters of Left parties formed a human chain to prevent a bulldozer from razing the stall. Senior Left leaders have alleged a clampdown on book stalls across the state; CPI(M) state secretary Md. Salim alleged that books were just an excuse and that the ruling party had decided on a crackdown on everything related to education and culture — an allegation the state government has not accepted.

The Chief Minister's remarks came after a section of leaders from his own side condemned the alleged attacks. On Monday (October 19), RSS leader Jishnu Basu said there is no valour in vandalising book stalls and that those indulging in such acts are cowards. West Bengal Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta said he cannot support what was happening in connection with the Left parties' book stalls, and state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya denied the involvement of any party worker in the vandalism, saying action would be taken if anyone from the party was found responsible. Mr. Adhikari made his remarks on Tuesday outside the home of a person who died in the Chorbagan Durga Puja stampede in north Kolkata, where he met the relatives of three victims and handed each bereaved family Rs 25 lakh (yaani twenty-five lakh rupees) as compensation, PTI reported. Sources: The Hindu; Press Trust of India via India Today/News89.