A circular from the West Bengal School Education Department mandating that all state-run schools stock 19 books authored by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has sparked significant controversy. A notice from the Commissioner of School Education to all District Inspectors (DIs) listed approximately 560 titles to be procured and shelved in school libraries—19 of which are penned by Banerjee, including Amar Pahar, Amar Jungle, Nandi Ma, Poribartan, and Soja Sapta.
The directive is part of a Rs 20.26 crore library development grant allocated to 2,026 schools across the state, with each institution receiving Rs 1 lakh. The list of recommended books has been divided into five regional sets and sent to school authorities across 25 districts.
BJP IT Cell chief and the party’s central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, lashed out at the state government, accusing it of dragging schoolchildren into what he called yet another “scam” under the Trinamool Congress.
“Another day, another TMC scam! In Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal, even schoolchildren aren’t spared from corruption,” Malviya said in a statement posted on his official X account Tuesday morning. “In a bizarre and shameful move, government schools are being forced to purchase 19 books authored by Mamata Banerjee just to qualify for a Rs 1 lakh grant. Public funds, meant to boost education and infrastructure, are now being misused to promote the Chief Minister’s vanity projects.”
Another Day, Another TMC Scam!
In Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal, even school children are not spared from corruption.
In a bizarre and shameful move, government schools in West Bengal are being forced to buy 19 books written by Mamata Banerjee to be eligible for a ₹1 lakh grant.… pic.twitter.com/5cnHTDeM7b
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) June 24, 2025
Amit Malviya intensified his criticism of the West Bengal government, accusing it of misusing public funds to promote Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s personal interests through compulsory book purchases in schools.
“No student should be punished with Mamata Banerjee’s incoherent literary output,” Malviya said, alleging that the move was a deliberate misuse of taxpayers’ money to channel funds into the Trinamool Congress via “fake” book sales and “backdoor royalties.”
📢 Govt schools in Bengal forced to buy 19 books written by Mamata Banerjee to get a ₹1 lakh grant 😳
~ Public money, meant for education, now funds her VANITY project.Any other state, @SardesaiRajdeep would’ve screamed tyranny. But for Bengal? Silence. Follow for more 🤝 pic.twitter.com/i4yMnCwRMw
— The Analyzer (News Updates🗞️) (@Indian_Analyzer) June 24, 2025
“Is this another scheme to launder black money ahead of the elections?” he asked. “After damaging Bengal’s youth with violence, joblessness, and political interference in education, Mamata Banerjee is now turning school libraries into a revenue stream for personal and political gain. We won’t remain silent. We will not let TMC loot education or auction Bengal’s future for propaganda.” The directive has also drawn criticism from several academic associations across West Bengal.
Kinkar Adhikari, General Secretary of the Sikshak Sikshakarmi Sikshanuragi Aikya Mancha, a forum representing teachers, non-teaching staff, and students, strongly condemned the directive, urging the state School Education Department to immediately withdraw it.
Adhikari compared the move to colonial-era practices, recalling how the British administration had once tried to impose conditions on then-University of Calcutta Vice-Chancellor Asutosh Mukhopadhyay in exchange for a financial grant.
“Mukhopadhyay rejected the offer outright. Sadly, we are now witnessing a similar mindset from the Trinamool government in a free India,” he said. Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress has remained completely silent on the controversy.
