Kolkata, Aug 17 (PTI) A BJP-backed publishers’ body is seeking to challenge the long-standing dominance of the Publishers and Booksellers Guild ahead of the 50th International Kolkata Book Fair, scheduled for early 2027, raising the possibility of a contest over who will organise the landmark event.
The Bangiya Granthashilpa Parishad, an organisation aligned with the BJP and RSS, has begun mobilising publishers, booksellers, printers and other stakeholders, saying it wants to make the book fair more inclusive and give a wider section of the publishing community a voice in its management.
The development comes as the Guild, which has organised the Kolkata Book Fair since its inception in 1976, was making preparations for the landmark 50th edition at the Boi Mela Prangan in Salt Lake Central Park.
A Parishad spokesperson on Monday argued that the mega fair, which has grown into an internationally recognised cultural event, should not remain under the control of a single organisation and that other publishers’ bodies should also have a role.
The BJP-backed body recently brought together a large number of representatives from the publishing sector at a programme in memory of late writer Buddhadev Guha in Kolkata, signalling its intention to build an alternative organisational platform ahead of the Golden Jubilee edition.
Bengal BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar on Sunday said there are around 13 organisations representing the publishers and booksellers and argued that the book fair, being a collective event, should provide space for all stakeholders.
BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya, while speaking at the programme convened by the Parishad, said the party would not seek to impose its control over the cultural sphere and maintained that the fair should not be monopolised by any political party.
However, the initiative has triggered speculation within West Bengal’s literary and publishing circles over whether the Parishad could eventually seek a formal role in organising the 2027 fair.
The Guild, meanwhile, has maintained that the international stature of the Kolkata Book Fair is the result of decades of work and that its legacy cannot be recreated overnight.
Founded in 1975, the Publishers and Booksellers Guild organised the first Calcutta Book Fair in 1976. The event subsequently acquired international recognition and evolved into one of the world’s largest non-commercial book fair, Guild official Apu Dey said.
“The book fair is an inclusive literary event, and the Guild has been taking every stakeholder along since inception and grew in size. We have started preparations for the upcoming edition,” Dey said.
State Library Minister Gourishankar Ghosh said the Information and Cultural Affairs Department would support the organisation of the book fair, as in previous editions.
“There have been allegations against some of those behind the organisation, but we will ensure that book lovers, writers, artistes, publishers and all stakeholders are represented in the committee,” he said. PTI SUS MNB
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