Former Birbhum BJP chief Doodh Kumar Mondal on Saturday expressed lack of confidence in the district leadership, accusing it of not launching movements against the Trinamul government over recent issues.

Doodh Kumar met around 400 party workers, including five district-level leaders, at a hall in Suri town.

BJP sources said the Birbhum unit of the party had been grappling with infighting since Doodh Kumar’s removal as district president in 2015. However, this is the first time there has been an open show of discontent.

“The party’s organisational growth has been stunted in Birbhum because of non-performance of the current district leadership. In this year’s panchayat polls, Trinamul did not allow us to file nominations in large parts of the district. But the BJP did not lodge a strong protest. People want to join hands with the BJP but the current district leadership is not ready to take their support,” Mondal said at the meeting.

“We want to send a clear message to the state leadership that the people have no confidence in the district leadership and if the party wants a good organisation in Birbhum, it will have to sit with us (Doodh Kumar and his followers),” he added.

Doodh Kumar highlighted the rise of the BJP in Birbhum after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls when the party made significant inroads in Parui and Illambazar, but was now in the doldrums.

Sources in the BJP said Doodh Kumar and his followers demand a change in the Birbhum leadership before next year’s Lok Sabha polls.

Birbhum BJP president Ramkrishna Roy said: “I don’t want to give my performance report to Doodh Kumar or the others with him…. We will complain about today’s meeting to our state-level leaders. This kind of activities tarnishes the party’s image.”