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New Delhi: Ten days after a massive drive to demolish Left book stalls across West Bengal, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has defended the vandalism. He said, “We will not allow anyone to publish anti-nation or anti-Sanatan writings or to hurt any religion, on the soil of West Bengal,” the Telegraph reports. He also used invectives ranging from “cockroaches” to “bedbugs”, “tukde tukde gang”, “dimaagi Naxals” and so on to describe the Left and its supporters.

Book stalls run by Left parties were vandalised, burnt and removed across the state during the Durga Puja festival, the first held after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in West Bengal. Bulldozers were used for the task, suggesting an organised effort.

Left leaders had earlier blamed BJP workers for the attacks on books, and accused a section of the police of using a narrow Calcutta high court order to clear stalls statewide.

Adhikari has now openly backed the vandals who removed the stalls and abused those whose books were removed, even burnt. The Wire had reported last week on how the........

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