Junior Union education minister Subhas Sarkar was on Tuesday locked in for over an hour at a BJP party office in Bankura, where is the MP, by enraged party colleagues protesting his alleged dictatorial attitude at the district organisational unit.

A BJP leader in Bankura, who was present at the spot, said a group of around 50 BJP workers entered the district party office in Natunganj, where Sarkar was attending a meeting, around 1pm on Tuesday.

“Party workers first started agitating in front of the party office, sloganeering against Sarkar, accusing him of dictatorship.... Some blamed him for the BJP’s poor show in last year's local civic polls and this year's rural polls. A few of them entered the office and locked the door of a room where Sarkar was conducting a meeting with party workers,” said the leader.

He said Tuesday’s incident was the result of the party’s growing infighting in the district, where it had built a fairly strong organisation since 2019.

“There was an undercurrent of infighting over the past year-and-a-half, over the inclusion of leaders in the organisational committees. Today’s (Tuesday) incident was an outburst by an aggrieved section,” he added.

Sunil Rudra Mondal, president of the BJP’s Bankura organisational district, was also allegedly heckled by agitators when he attempted to enter the office.

Normality was, more or less, restored after a team from the local police station arrived and rescued the Union minister from the locked room. The cops detained two agitating BJP leaders who were leading the group.

“We have been with the BJP for years and played our role in ensuring wins in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and 2021 Assembly polls. Our MP Subhas Sarkar removed us from posts without reason. He instead brought in those close to him. We think he is responsible for the BJP's poor show in recent polls,” said Mohit Sharma, an agitating BJP leader.

The BJP won both the Bankura and Bishnupur Lok Sabha seats in 2019. It bagged eight out of 12 Assembly seats in 2021 despite the Mamata sweep across the state. Bankura district is considered to be a bastion of the saffron leadership in Bengal.

“Tuesday’s incident sent out a negative message to our supporters before the Lok Sabha polls next year. We should plug the leaks in the organisation as soon as possible,” said a BJP leader in Bankura.

Sarkar did not take calls from this newspaper. He declined to speak to the local media after being rescued.

BJP state unit leaders said they would take a report from the local leaders on what actually happened and whether agitators had a point.

“What happened with our minister and MP Subhas Sarkar in Bankura is very unfortunate. We will take a complete report from local leaders to get answers to every question,” said Samik Bhattacharya, chief spokesperson for the BJP state unit.

Trinamul leaders wasted no time in mocking the BJP.

“BJP workers locked in Union minister and BJP MP Subhas Sarkar today (Tuesday). This is the condition of the BJP, which attempts to malign and frame Trinamul national general-secretary Abhishek Banerjee. This is an example of how their own party cadres are agitating against their own MP and minister. How can such a party be trusted by the people?” asked state irrigation minister Partha Bhowmick.