Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], June 5 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) on Friday accepted the resignation of senior Congress leader and former Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Neeraj Bharti from the post of Vice-President of the state party unit.

Confirming the development, HPCC General Secretary (Organisation) Vinod Jinta said that Bharti's resignation had been formally accepted by the party.

Bharti, a former MLA from Jawali and son of Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar, had submitted his resignation on Thursday, hours after being served a show-cause notice by the Congress for repeatedly criticising the state government and party leadership through social media posts.

In his resignation letter addressed to Pradesh Congress Committee President Vinay Kumar and district party leaders, Bharti expressed dissatisfaction with the functioning of the state government under Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

'I feel dissatisfied with the working style and administrative functioning of the current state government under the leadership of the Chief Minister,' Bharti stated in the two-page Hindi letter, which he also shared on his Facebook account.

Announcing his resignation with immediate effect, Bharti alleged that the Congress government had failed to meet the expectations of party workers who had worked tirelessly to bring the party to power in the state.

He said that an increasing disconnect between the government and grassroots workers had become a source of deep disappointment and frustration, prompting him to step down from his organisational responsibilities.

In a separate social media post, Bharti recalled his tenure as Chief Parliamentary Secretary during the government led by the late Virbhadra Singh, stating that public issues were addressed with seriousness during that period. He contrasted the situation with the present, alleging that the current administration was marked by excuses for problems, justifications for shortcomings and repeated references to a lack of financial resources.

Earlier on Thursday, Kangra District Congress Committee president Anurag Sharma had issued a show-cause notice to Bharti, accusing him of indiscipline and seeking an explanation for his public criticism of the party and the state government on social media platforms.

The notice directed Bharti to submit his reply within ten days, failing which disciplinary proceedings could be initiated against him.

Bharti's resignation is being viewed as a significant development within the ruling Congress in Himachal Pradesh, highlighting growing internal differences within sections of the party over the functioning of the state government. (ANI)