Kolkata, Jan 30 (IANS): In absence of Trinamool Congress strongman and Birbhum district President Anubrata Mondal, who is currently in judicial custody in connection with the multi-crore cattle smuggling in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will directly oversee the organisational affairs of the party in that district from now.

"The absence of Anubrata Mondal will not make much difference. Everyone in the district will have to work unitedly for the forthcoming panchayat elections. I will personally oversee the district organisation affairs in Birbhum," she reportedly said at a meeting with the members of her party's district committee on Monday afternoon.

However, party sources said, much against the expectation of the district leaders, she did not spare any time or further words about the event of Mondal being behind bars. Although the entire Birbhum district has been wrapped with festoons and placards carrying pictures of party leaders of different levels, not a single picture of Mondal was spotted anywhere, thus giving a clear signal that the party leadership has started distancing itself from him.

Party sources said that in the meeting at Birbhum, the Chief Minister was reluctant to discuss anything about Mondal, except once when she enquired about his daughter Sukanya Mondal.

Reacting to the development, BJP's national Vice President Dilip Ghosh said that while it took only seven days for Trinamool to take action against former education minister Partha Chatterjee, it took the party leadership seven months to start the process of distancing itself from Mondal. "Probably the financial involvement with the scam that Mondal was associated with was more and that is why such delayed process," he claimed.