Rift within Congress surfaces again as Bharti targets father and CM Sukhu over transfers
Shimla — The internal discord in the Himachal Pradesh Congress government has flared up once again, with former Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Neeraj Bharti launching another sharp attack on his own father and Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar via social media. The fresh outburst came just hours after the minister told reporters at the state secretariat on Thursday that the matter had been resolved.
However, Bharti’s new post has once again heated the political atmosphere. In his statement, Bharti bluntly told his father, “The compulsion of the chair is yours, not mine,” accusing him and other Congress ministers of ignoring the legitimate expectations of party workers, especially in matters of employee transfers.
Bharti argued that transfers are a political reality in Himachal Pradesh and accused party leaders of hypocrisy. “When we were in opposition, we told our workers to be patient and promised to adjust them once we returned to power. Now that the government is in place, the same leaders are saying they haven’t become MLAs or ministers to handle transfers,” Bharti wrote. He further alleged that BJP-aligned employees are still being favoured while Congress supporters continue to be sidelined.
“This is not a personal battle or about property. This is a battle for thousands of Congress workers who worked hard to bring the party back to power,” he said, warning that if the recent transfers of BJP-affiliated employees were not cancelled, he would continue to fight — “even if I am alone” — against the government and his own father.
This is not the first time Neeraj Bharti has sparked controversy. Earlier, he had stunned the political circles by claiming that his father Chander Kumar would resign from the cabinet and accused Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of ignoring party workers and working under the influence of opposition sympathisers. Though Bharti later deleted the post and claimed he had received assurances from CM Sukhu, the damage had already been done.
The repeated flare-ups on social media by Bharti have led to murmurs within the party, with some leaders choosing to downplay the statements, saying they shouldn’t be taken seriously. However, the consistent tone of dissatisfaction cannot be ignored.
Several Congress leaders have been voicing similar concerns behind closed doors, blaming CM Sukhu for favouring a limited circle of loyalists while ignoring grassroots workers. They argue that such an approach is harming the party’s image and demoralising the very cadre that helped secure victory in the state.
The latest developments underline that all is not well within the ruling Congress camp in Himachal. With public displays of dissent becoming more frequent, the leadership faces growing pressure to address the widening cracks and reassure its workers that their voices still matter.
