Written 26 poems already on SIR: Mamata while inaugurating Kolkata Book Fair

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday (January 22, 2026) said that since the start of 2026, she has written 26 poems on the “harassment” caused by the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which she claims is used to decide the outcome of elections in India.

“The logistical differences in SIR are witnessed only in West Bengal. People have to wait in queues for four to five hours every day. They face problems like their surnames being spelled as Banerjee as well as Bandopadhyay, Mukherjee and Mukhopadhyay. In one case, the authorities wondered how five people could have the same parents. Come on, no one followed this rule then. Hum Do, Hamare Do (two-child) policy!” Ms. Banerjee said while inaugurating the Kolkata International Book Fair, which will continue till February 3 with around 1,100 stalls and participation from 20 countries, excluding Bangladesh.

“How can we get our parents’ birth certificates? Many of us don’t even know exactly when our parents were born. It was a case of ‘home delivery’ for most people back then. Even (former Prime Minister) Atal Behari Vajpayee had told me that December 25 was not his birthday. There are many among us who do not know their actual date of birth. But these are troubling people.” [with such questions]Even people like Amartya Sen and poet Joy Goswami,” he said.

Ms. Banerjee also announced that a Boi Tirtha (book pilgrimage) will be instituted next year at the same time the Kolkata book fair completes its 50th year and announced a donation of Rs. 10 crore for this purpose. “Although I am a simple person, a less important person, I also write. I mostly write while traveling. I usually write in longhand because that is when the thoughts flow. I have written 153 books so far and nine more will be released this year. Copyright is my only source of income. I have never accepted a rupee from the government,” the Prime Minister said.

This year, the focus country of the fair is Argentina, and the country’s Indian Ambassador Mariano Agustin Caucino, who was present at the event, said that although Argentina and Calcutta are 17,000 km apart, they have many common elements such as football, Tagore (who met Victoria Ocampo in Buenos Aires) and love of literature.

“This historic milestone will strengthen cultural diplomacy and literary cooperation with India, promote Spanish-language literature and strengthen the connection between writers, publishers and readers of the two countries,” the ambassador said.

The excitement among both readers and publishers is palpable as the book fair organized by the Publishers and Booksellers Association is the largest event in the city after Durga Puja last year, which recorded 27 lakh visitors. Hours after the opening, Sayani Dutta Mitra, managing partner of Doshor Publications, said, “This time the fair is more like a silent exchange than a show. Readers seem to be in no rush. They stop, take their time with a book, listen to it before making a decision. In these unhurried moments, I feel a renewed faith in reading as something deeply personal, almost sacred.”

“What I will buy today is Ruskin Bond’s new book. Ghosts of India’s Small TownsGhazala Wahab’s Indian Heartand a compilation of interviews with author Ashish Lahiri: Come across. Of course, I will look at other books as well,” said Amartya Bandopadhyay, chemistry teacher at Diamond Harbor school.

(Hindu It is located at booth number 2 at the International Kolkata Book Fair. E-96).