According to sources, a section of CPM leaders have been demanding action against Seth.

“Doing social work through an NGO cannot be considered an anti-party activity. But we have to go through the structure of the NGO. We have heard the primary members of the NGO are either from the local party unit or Seth’s family members,” said a CPM leader.

Most of the leaders declined to comment about allegations against Seth, who is a CPM state committee member and CITU’s East Midnapore district committee secretary.

Earlier, in March, a state committee meeting discussed Haldia and debated the expulsion of Ashok Pattnaik, a close associate of Seth who travelled abroad at least twice as an ICARE representative, a source said.