Kolkata, Jan 13 (IANS): Barely a month after ex-West Bengal Transport Minister Suvendu Adhikari jumped ship from the Trinamool Congress to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), his father and veteran Lok Sabha member of Trinamool, Sisir Adhikari, was removed as East Midnapore district president, sources said on Wednesday.

Senior Trinamool leader from East Midnapore district, Soumen Mahapatra, known as a detractor of the Adhikari family, has been made the new president of the party's district unit. However, Adhikari has been made the chairman of the district core committee of the party.

The decision came a day after the septuagenarian Trinamool leader was removed from the post of chairman, Digha-Shankarpur Development Authority (DSDA). He was replaced by Akhil Giri, a Trinamool legislator from the Ramnagar Assembly seat. Giri is also known to be a detractor of the Adhikari family in East Midnapore district.

Sources said 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 of works remained on hold and the development body needed to expedite a few projects ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in April-May this year.

"Many Trinamool leaders are not happy at all. Many of them are willing to switch to the BJP as we allow our party workers to function properly with discipline. Now Sisir babu has no other option but to join the BJP as the Trinamool Congress has relieved him of key duties," BJP state unit president Dilip Ghosh said.

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