Trinamul Congress’s East Midnapore unit on Saturday began a crackdown on office-bearers said to be close to the rebellious Suvendu Adhikari as a couple of block presidents, including Nandigram’s, were removed by the party’s district chief Sisir Adhikari — Suvendu’s father.

The move came a day after Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee entrusted Sisir, the 79-year-old Contai MP and a party vice-president, with the responsibility of replacing office-bearers of the party whom she accused of being engaged in anti-party activities.

Trinamul sources said though a list of five leaders had been drawn up, the names of two, Nandigram block president Meghnad Pal and Bhagabanpur-II block president Manab Padua, were announced on Saturday.

Sources said early on Saturday phone calls went out from Sisir to Pal and Padua, informing them that they would be replaced.

The development came on a day sources said poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC — hired by Trinamul for Bengal elections — asked several party leaders to address news meets to clarify their allegiance to Mamata or Suvendu.

Among those who held news meets were town president Biswanath Mahapatra, Nandakumar block president Sukumar Bera, Egra-II president Swarat Khara and Haldia coordinator Anandamay Adhikari. Anandamay said he felt “insulted” that I-PAC asked him to come clean. “These are attempts at widening the divide between Suvendu and Didi,” he said.

Suvendu loyalists said they were being made “scapegoats”. “Dada (Suvendu) is still Nandigram MLA, general secretary of the party, part of its seven-member apex steering committee…. We are paying a price for fulfiling our roles and for being seen around him. This isn’t right,” said Pal. “I have done nothing wrong, nor have I liaised outside the party,” he added. Padua virtually echoed him.