Chanchol (Malda), April 11: Posters denouncing Union minister and PCC president Priya Ranjan Das Munshi have been plastered across the Kharba Assembly constituency, barely 24 hours before it goes to polls.

“Priya hatao, Congress bachao (Remove Priya to save the Congress)”, read the posters, which have been put up by “Congress members loyal to Barkatda (former Union minister and MP A.B.A. Ghani Khan Chowdhury)”.

In an “open” letter to Das Munshi, Congress karmadhakshya of the Malda zilla parishad and the working president of the party’s district unit, Mohammad Shahid, has said he has quit the party.

Shahid is planning to launch a new political party. “We have not yet fixed its name. We will fight all the seats in the district in the panchayat polls and give a fitting reply to Das Munshi’s lies and hollow promises, ” he said.

“I have worked tirelessly for the Congress and my name was sent as a candidate for the by-poll by the district committee which Das Munshi had ignored. This is unacceptable in the party,” the letter reads. The PCC president had announced Asif Mehboob, the son of the deceased Kharba MLA Mahabubul Haq, as the party’s candidate for the by-poll.

Shahid also hit out at Das Munshi for not using Ghani Khan Chowdhury’s photograph in any of the posters. “We all respect Barkatda and it is unthinkable that he should be ignored.” Sahid, however, said he was not aware who put up the posters.

Chanchol Block Congress president Sachidananda Chakrabarty said the CPM was using Shahid to serve its own purpose. “The CPM is playing dirty politics knowing fully well that it cannot defeat the Congress,” he added.

According to Ruby Noor, the district Congress president, Shahid had been show-caused. “We will not tolerate rebels before the poll.”

Das Munshi appeared unperturbed at the development. “I am an Union minister and the state’s Congress president. I do not have time to look into such trivial matters,” he said from South Dinajpur where he had gone to address a panchayat election rally.