Most party-ruled states refuse any such proposal but only for now. The party denies issuing any such directive
Most party-ruled states refuse any such proposal but only for now. The party denies issuing any such directive
The war of succession in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken a backseat. All that party leaders are talking about now is Jaswant's book on Jinnah.u00a0 A "nervous" BJP is divided on whether to direct the state governments where the party is ruling to ban Jaswant Singh's Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence.
ADVERTISEMENT
 |
|
Jaswant Singh's residence at 15 Teen Murti Lane in New Delhi on Monday. PIC/SUBHASH BAROLIA |
The publishers Rupa and Co claimed the book is already into the tenth reprint. Rupa and Co chairman RK Mehra hailed the ban on the book. "The ban is a salutation for us," Mehra told MiD DAY.
However, he refused to divulge the sales figures. "The book is selling like hot cakes across the country. We are selling around 150 copies per day. Many bookstores have run out of stock. The ban in Gujarat came as a boon as sale of the book shot up."
BJP vice-president and party spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said there's no doubt that the issue was sensitive but "the party will emerge stronger."
"Selfish writers are challenging the fighters," Naqvi added. When asked whether the party high command will ask all BJP-ruled states to ban the book, he said banning it is the sole prerogative of the state governments and the party has not issued any directive in this regard.
The burgeoning sales and media spotlight, however, have made the book the sole talking point in the BJP headquarters and media briefings are mostly on the issue.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior leader of the party, associated with the media cell, said the party is yet to chart a course to handle the issue. "There are diverse opinions whether to follow what Modiji did in Gujarat or let it be." Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has denied any proposal to ban the book in the state. "Mera aisa koi vichar nahi hai (I have no such intention)."
Chouhan's Chhattisgarh counterpart Raman Singh, however, said the state government is yet to take a view on banning the book. "So far, there is no such proposal," he added.
The Karnataka government has also decided against imposing a ban on the book. When contacted, state chief minister B S Yeddyurappa said, "We have no plans of banning the book in Karnataka."
Booksellers are a satisfied lot, though. "We have been selling around 45 copies each day. The sales gained momentum after the expulsion of Jaswant Singh from the BJP. In fact, controversy helps any book to sell better," said Anuj Bahri, owner of Bahrisons in Delhi.
 |
 |
 |
|
The hand that rocked the cradle: A shopper pointing to a window of a leading bookstore at Khan Market in New Delhi where Jaswant Singh's Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence is exhibited windows of nearby bookstores |
An executive at Bangalore's Sapna Book House said they had sold 12 copies of the book since Wednesday.
Prakash Gangaram of Gangarams Book Bureau said, "The first lot was sold out." In Mumbai too, the book is flying off the shelves. A spokesperson from Oxford book store said, "In the last two days nearly 50 copies have been sold."
Another popular bookstore chain Crossword also confirmed a sales impetus post ban. "I can't really give a percentage but the sales have shot up ever since the Gujarat government imposed a ban on the book," Crossword spokesperson Shivarman Bala said.
u00a0"Many politicians are buying the book. Union minister Farooq Abdullah had purchased two copies of the book from our store," said a representative from Faqir Chand and Son at Delhi's Khan Market.
"We have sold almost 300 copies after the controversy. It is doing almost as well in the initial days as Booker Prize winner Arvind Adiga's 'The White Tiger'," said Anup Bamhi, the owner of the bookstore.
Interestingly, the book sales counter at the BJP headquarter on Ashoka Road have rejected the offer by the publisher to stock the book, but on an average 20-25 leaders and workers from the party ask for the book. "We don't even keep Jaswant Singh's last book-A call to Honour: In Service of Emergent India. But his other books are still available for sale at the counter," said a staff at the bookstore.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
