Though bureaucracy in any government is considered the backbone of the government, the bureaucracy in Himachal Pradesh is under constant attack by several Cabinet Ministers.

The relationship between the political leadership and the mandarins in the state has been very cordial all these years and even if there were differences it remained wrapped up. This is for the first time a few Cabinet Ministers have openly criticized a few officers of the state government.

It started when Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri lashed at a few officers in a public meeting at Mandi, organized to celebrate three years of Congress government in Himachal Pradesh,  on December 11, 2025.

Lashing at a section of officers, the Deputy CM had said, “A few officers in the state government have been working against the state government and been clandestinely meeting certain BJP leaders to hatch conspiracy during night hours; he had also warned such officers, they will be dealt with during the night hours .”

Few weeks after this PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh also had accused certain officers, not belonging to the state, of creating hurdles in the projects being undertaken by the state government.

The statement of Vikramaditya Singh was met with strong reaction from the IAS officers Association and several Cabinet Ministers also criticized the PWD Minister for making such a statement.

Recently, Ayush Minister Yadvinder Goma has given a privilege motion to HP Vidhansabha Speaker against Mandi Deputy Commissioner Apoorav Devgan for not attending him as per protocol during his visit to Mandi on the Republic Day, where the minister was to preside over the district level function.

The minister stated, “As per the  protocol the DC was supposed to receive him at the Circuit House but neither did he come to receive him nor did he tell him about the reason for his absence.”

All these instances make it abundantly clear the relation between many political leaders and a section of bureaucracy are far from cordial. 

Political analysts feel there could be many reasons for such reactions, “growing frustration within the government or lack of administrative skills can also be one of the reasons, but they feel such differences are not good for the state.” 

Sharing is caring!