Opposition campaign drives up sales of a little black-and-red book

LUCKNOW: A key attraction on the inaugural day of 18th Lok Sabha was the coat pocket version of the Indian Constitution, which was waved by several INDIA bloc members, including Rahul Gandhi, in the House as well as outside to protest against Modi govt.
The leather-bound black and red book published by Lucknow-based Eastern Book Company (EBC) had grabbed limelight when it was frequently pulled out by opposition leaders, specially Rahul, in the Lok Sabha election rallies to claim that BJP would tamper with the Constitution if it returned to office. EBC publisher Sumeet Malik claims to have sold 5,000 copies in the last three months while the same number was sold in 2023.

EBC is the sole publisher of the coat pocket version which was first printed in 2009 and has printed 16 editions since then.
"The demand is quite high for our coat pocket edition of Indian Constitution. We are selling out as soon as the fresh stock is received," added Malik.
The 624-page coat pocket edition is printed on Bible paper and contains a chapter on the making of the Indian Constitution by Prof Ranbir Singh, former vice-chancellor of National Law University, Delhi.

The foreword of the book written by former attorney general KK Venugopal says: "Every Indian, whether he be a lawyer, judge or not, should have a copy of this little book, small in size but huge in its human dimensions. I believe that this elegant book should be in the pockets of every Indian, enabling him to derive inspiration from the greatness of the ideas contained in the Constitution of India, which we, the people of India, have given unto ourselves."
EBC has procured intellectual property rights on the book and it cannot be copied by anyone. "PM Modi had presented a copy to Ramnath Kovind when he was appointed the President. Supreme Court judges often carry the coat pocket version when they travel abroad in official capacity. It's available in many libraries across the world as well," said Malik. "The more access the people in this country will have to legal material, the better it will be governed. The Constitution of India is the most important book in this country," he added.
Recently, Malik also gifted a copy of the book to Union home minister Amit Shah.