A life size statue of former Congress leader and Union minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, who is considered to be the tallest political leader of North Dinajpur district, was unveiled at Siliguri More in Raiganj town on Friday.

The statue was installed by the Trinamul-run Raiganj municipality. Those in the civic body have termed their initiative as a political courtesy and an attempt to pay homage to Das Munshi while the Congress has asked whether Trinamul is trying to win people’s hearts by using the late leader’s legacy.

On Friday, Chittaranjan Roy, a former Congress MLA of Raiganj, unveiled the statue in the presence of Sandip Biswas, the civic chairman, and Arindam Sarkar, his deputy.

“In North Dinajpur, Priya Ranjan Das Munshi is revered by people from all walks of life. To ensure that he is remembered forever and to pay him homage, we have installed the statue,” said Biswas, the chairman.

Das Munshi was the MP of Raiganj from 1999 to 2009 and had also been a member of the Union cabinet. In 2008, he suddenly fell ill and had been under treatment at the AIIMS in Delhi for around nine years. In November 2017, he breathed his last.

“We might have political differences with him but his contribution to the district and political acumen had made him rise above politics. That is why we erected his statue. There is no point in drawing any other inference from the initiative of the civic body,” the civic chairman added.

District Congress leaders aren’t, however, ready to buy the theory. Though they have welcomed the installation of Das Munshi’s statue, they have simultaneously raised questions over Trinamul’s intention and pointed out that Deepa Das Munshi, Priya’s wife who was also a Congress MP, had not been invited to the event.

“Trinamul leaders across North Dinajpur have often resorted to violence, which is completely against the political beliefs of Priya Ranjan Das Munshi. We feel it is nothing but an attempt to try and stoke the sentiments of people who have high regards for our leader to gain support ahead of the Assembly elections,” said Mohit Sengupta, the Raiganj MLA and district Congress president.