The National Library will preserve its peace. But that has been made possible only by the intervention of the chief minister of West Bengal. Otherwise the Partnership Summit of the Confederation of Indian Industry would have been held on the library?s premises in January, as it was earlier this year. It is not as if the CII and the library authorities were just ignoring the questions raised last time by the disruption of readers? routines and the inappropriateness of holding an industrialists? meet on library premises. They were also ignoring the implicit message in the prime minister?s apology to readers at the last meeting, made because the library had to be closed for the sake of his security. This time, the Indian prime minister as well as the former prime minister of Singapore are invitees. The change of venue, ensured by Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, is thus a blessing for readers.

The priorities of industrialists are not meant to be the same as those of readers, although the total indifference expressed by the CII is more than shocking. A senior office-bearer had justified the choice of venue by saying that overseas visitors like the location of the National Library, its proximity to the best hotels, its infrastructure, its parking space. The chief minister, fortunately, does not seem to have lost his sense of proportion. The National Library was not built to satisfy visiting industrialists. This sense of proportion, though, fails Mr Bhattacharjee sometimes. By intervening now, he may have made up for the fact that he had himself addressed a conference organized by the Border Security Force in the National Library auditorium last June. But it seems incomprehensible that he saw to it that the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led rally was held in the Brigade Parade Grounds in spite of the army?s refusal to grant permission. This has led to a decision, involving the Union defence ministry, that the grounds will be open to rallies by all parties, thus rubbishing the army?s efforts to restore the green. Mr Bhattacharjee has rightly made sure that a library is for its readers to read in. Why does he feel that an open green is for political parties to destroy?