Himachal Ministers Clash Over Allegations Against UP, Bihar Officers
Shimla witnessed a political storm on Wednesday as two senior ministers in the Himachal Pradesh government publicly disagreed over allegations against bureaucrats. The controversy began when Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh claimed some senior IAS and IPS officers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were arbitrarily distributing state funds and compromising Himachal's interests.
Minister Counters Claims
Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh responded strongly to these allegations. He stated that if a minister cannot get work done, the problem lies with the minister, not the officers. He called such remarks unfortunate and emphasized the need for tact in government work.
"It is not right to simply put our own fault onto someone else," Anirudh Singh told reporters. "This lowers the morale of officers, and somewhere along the way, it also tarnishes the image of the government."
The minister shared his own experience, noting that despite having officers from other states in his department, he never faced such issues. He stressed that knowing how to get work done properly ensures no official would ever stop a legal task.
Financial Management Concerns
Anirudh Singh also addressed financial matters, acknowledging that everyone knows how Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who also holds the finance portfolio, manages finances with great difficulty. He said things are being managed somehow as of today.
"Making sweeping statements and placing the blame on officials is merely an attempt to hide one's own mistakes," the minister quipped.
He defended officers as pillars of government, regardless of which state they come from. He reminded everyone that IAS officers qualify through the tough UPSC examination, with the last batch coming to Himachal Pradesh in 2015-16.
Previous Controversies
This is not the first time Himachal Pradesh ministers have raised concerns about bureaucracy. On December 11 last year, at a Congress government event in Mandi marking three years in power, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri claimed some state government officers and employees were still "taking instructions from the BJP" despite a Congress government being in power.
"I said last time also that the bureaucracy must take heed," Agnihotri had stated. "Today I say again that all those officers, who are plotting against the government, would be strictly dealt with. We will fix them in the dark of the night."
Opposition Weighs In
Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur called Vikramaditya Singh's statement a very serious issue. He said he had been highlighting for long that officers were calling the shots in the state government.
"The current period is of disorder, which the entire state is witnessing, as the state government is being run by officers," Thakur added. "Even their own ministers are now saying that the officers have become completely uncontrollable."
Officers' Associations React
The Himachal Pradesh IAS Officers' Association and IPS Officers' Association strongly condemned Vikramaditya Singh's statement on Wednesday. Both associations said it tends to create an artificial and undesirable divide between Himachali and non-Himachali officers serving in the state.
They urged the state government to take effective steps to safeguard the dignity, morale, and neutrality of officers serving in Himachal Pradesh.
The IPS Officers' Association made a specific request, urging the government not to post any IPS officer with Vikramaditya Singh and ensure such statements are not repeated in future.
The IAS Officers' Association requested guidance at the highest level to ensure public discourse remains focused on policies and outcomes rather than personal or regional backgrounds of officers.
Their statement read that public remarks attributing administrative shortcomings to officers' regional origin undermine the foundational spirit of all-India services. These services were envisaged to promote national unity, administrative impartiality, and cooperative federalism.
The controversy highlights ongoing tensions within the Himachal Pradesh government regarding bureaucratic functioning and inter-state officer postings. It raises questions about administrative control and working relationships between ministers and career bureaucrats in the hill state.
