The Publishers and Book Sellers Guild of Kolkata on Tuesday appealed to the members and the book sellers from Delhi and others parts of the country to desist from participating in the State government-aided Guwahati Book Fair.
The decision has been raised as a protest against the government’s decision to take out the textbook printing work from the hands of indigenous publishers of Assam. Tridib Kr Chatterjee, General Secretary of the Guild, expressed agreement with the All Assam Publishers and Booksellers Association’s decision to boycott the Guwahati Book Fair, scheduled in December.
Jania MLA Abdul Khaleque said that instead of patronising the publishing industry in Assam, the State government had adopted an attitude inimical towards the publishers.
Eminent educationist Dayananda Pathak also said that governance must be the priority of a government, and for the sake of professional excellence, book publishing should be left for the experts.
