Chan said: 'This is not the Leung I know.'

In response to the remarks, Leung said: 'I cannot do anything about the criticisms. They initiated the action. I still see them as my friends.'

Leung said the party infighting - with one faction led by Wong and another by chairman Andrew To Kwan-hang - prompted him to consider whether it was time to quit, too.

To has vowed to convince Leung to stay.

'It has been a fight between different ranks in the past seven months, it was never related to political views,' Leung said.

The lawmaker was referring to the series of personal conflicts after members had a dispute over whether the league should challenge the Democratic Party, which supported the government's constitutional reform package.

There were also spats over the league's setting up of a district branch and the handling of a sex scandal involving Wong's protege Edward Yum Liang-hsien.

Yum, who is accused of rape in two separate cases, has not been charged but is on bail.

'Wong has misinterpreted my political views,' Leung said, without elaborating. He said he had written a letter to explain to Wong.

Wong said he would not form a new political party but 200 supporters are expected to follow him in forming a political alliance with three other groups to prepare for the district council elections in November.

Wong has lined up Voter's Power, China Youths and The Frontier, which is a smaller entity after most of its members left with Emily Lau Wai-hing to join the Democrats in 2008.

To said the league would not disband. 'We will maintain our strategy in our fight for democracy,' he said. 'The league will continue to work for the grass-roots people. Our power has been affected, but we will stand firmly for democracy.'