Amid attacks, sales surge at Kolkata Left bookstalls
Book sales at Left-wing party stalls in Kolkata have surged significantly despite reports of vandalism and attacks on the stalls during the Durga Puja festival. Supporters appear to be responding to the political violence by increasing their patronage of these stalls.
Why it matters
The trend illustrates a localized political reaction where physical intimidation has backfired, resulting in increased public support for the targeted groups.
KOLKATA: Book sales at stalls set up near Durga Puja pandals by various Left parties—including the CPM, CPI(ML) Liberation, and SUCI—spiked manifold this year, coinciding with reports of vandalism, arson, and books being thrown onto the streets across the city and the state.At the Jadavpur 8B bus stand, where a bulldozer attempted to demolish book stalls on Saturday before facing resistance from locals, the CPM stall recorded sales worth Rs 16 lakh—a nearly fourfold increase from last year’s Rs 4.5 lakh. Meanwhile, the stall set up by the All India Students’ Association (AISA) at the same location recorded sales of Rs 80,000, up from Rs 50,000 last year, according to AISA state president Ritam Maji.The only total casualty was the SUCI (Communist) stall, which was pulled down around midnight. However, its sales still surged after volunteers resumed operations using makeshift tables and chairs.
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