By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,
Kolkata: Under attack for enlisting pro-Trinamool newspapers for public libraries and sidelining English dailies, the West Bengal government led by Mamata Banerjee on Thursday enlarged the list by including five more newspapers. The government had earlier enlisted eight papers – 5 Bengali, 2 Urdu and 1 Hindi. The addition of 5 papers includes an English daily and a Muslim community Bengali weekly.
Minister of the Department of Mass Education, Extension and Library Services Mr Abdul Karim Chowdhury today said in a press conference that state run and aided libraries can now subscribe five more newspapers — two Bengali and one each in English, Santhali and Nepali. He said, now total 13 newspapers can be kept in Govt & Govt aided libraries.
According to the Minister’s statement, the only English newspaper included is Times of India. Among the two Bengali newspapers, daily `Aajkal’ is considered close to Left Front and `Kalom’ is known as Muslim community weekly. Editor of the Kalom is Ahmed Hassan Imran. He is also Executive editor of Urdu daily Azad Hind. Sources said, `Kalom’ has been bought by `Saradha Group’ which is going to publish it as a daily.