Kolkata, Jan 12 (IANS): After Suvendu Adhikari and his younger brother Soumendu, Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress on Tuesday removed veteran party Lok Sabha MP and ex-union minister Sisir Adhikari from a key administrative position.

Father of the duo, the septuagenarian leader from East Midnapore, was removed from Digha-Shankarpur Development Authority (DSDA)'s chairman's post. The Trinamool Congress has appointed Akhil Giri, a legislator from Ramnagar Assembly seat, in the that role.

Sources said that the change was made as senior Adhikari was mostly staying home for quite sometime, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. Keeping in mind his age, the party decided to appoint Giri as the new chairman of the DSDA committee.

The decision was made as a lot work remained on hold and the development body needed to expedite a few projects ahead of the upcoming state Assembly elections in April-May this year.

"Sisir Adhikari did not do anything as the chairman of the DSDA and he has been removed," Giri said.

Giri is slated to take the official charge and start functioning as the new chairman from January 13, sources said. Giri is known to be a detractor of the Adhikari family in the in the district.

Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh also said that Sisir Adhikari was not being able to function for a long time due to health issues as the chairman of the body.

After Suvendu Adhikari resigned from the Trinamool Congress and joined the saffron brigade in Bengal, his younger brother Soumendu was also removed from the post of an administrator of Contai municipality. Later, Soumendu also joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following his elder brother's footsteps.