Debabrata Saikia Condemns Conspiracy Against Book Fair

GUWAHATI, Sept 4: The Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly Debabrata Saikia expressed concern over reports that the State Government is trying to sabotage the 20th edition of the North-East Book Fair, which is scheduled to be held at the Chandmari Engineering Institute Field from November 9 to November 20, and said this was condemnable negativity.

Saikia pointed out that the organizers of the book fair, the All Assam Publishers and Booksellers Association, had paid for and booked the venue in July this year. However, the Secretary of the Assam Publication Board wrote to the administrators of the field in August and booked the venue for a children’s book fair coinciding with the North-East Book Fair. Saikia said that it is further alleged that the government has blocked the Chandmari field for the entire duration of December this year and January next year with a view to scuttling the 20-year-old book fair.

The Opposition leader said that this sort of conspiracy by the Government to sabotage a successful and popular book fair, which has been playing a stellar role in encouraging the habit of reading books among different generations of people, was totally unacceptable.

Meanwhile, Saikia wrote to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in this connection on Tuesday and requested him to ensure that the North-East Book Fair is held on time and without any hitch, a release said.