The fraught relations between politicians and bureaucrats in Himachal Pradesh seem to have become more tense in the wake of Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Vikramaditya Singh’s recent remarks against a section of the IAS and IPS officers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, whom he accused of disregarding “Himachaliyat” – the ethos and interests of the hill state.A two-term Congress MLA from the Shimla rural constituency, Vikramaditya is the son of former Congress stalwart and six-time chief minister late Virbhadra Singh and ex-state party chief Pratibha Singh.AdvertisementCM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s Cabinet seems to have been divided over Vikramaditya’s comment targeting certain babus, which has also reignited an old “insider versus outsider” debate in the state.Also read | Himachal IAS, IPS bodies slam minister for ‘UP-Bihar’ remarkWhat is the current row?The controversy stems from a statement made by Vikramaditya in a Facebook post on January 13, in which he endorsed Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri’s warning to bureaucrats not to “work against the state government”. While refraining from specifying any details about such officers, Agnihotri had made the statement at a Congress function in Mandi on December 11 last year, which was held to mark the third anniversary of the Sukhu government.In his post in Hindi, Vikramaditya alleged that some IAS and IPS officers from UP and Bihar were not serving the interests of Himachal Pradesh and were “insensitive” to local culture and public concerns. He said such bureaucrats should learn from HP officers and serve the people of the state instead of “making the mistake of becoming a ruler”. He also warned that if these bureaucrats are not “tackled in time”, the state’s interests could suffer.AdvertisementHis post went viral, garnering thousands of reactions and sparking a heated discourse in the state’s political and administrative circles.Later, standing by his comment, Vikramaditya said it was “not personal” and that he respected the All India Services framework. He, however, insisted that the officers concerned got the message and that they could not ignore people’s elected representatives like MLAs and MPs.Also read | Three days later, one Cabinet colleague backs PWD minister, Vikramaditya SinghWhat is the Opposition’s stance?The principal Opposition BJP and the Left slammed Vikramaditya, stating that his statement “exposed” the lack of coordination between the state’s political leadership and bureaucracy.The BJP leaders, including Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur, state party president Rajeev Bindal and Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur, attacked the Sukhu government, alleging that the state’s bureaucratic structure has “collapsed”.Jai Ram Thakur said, “Although I do not agree with the PWD minister’s remarks regarding bureaucrats from other states, the comments reflect that bureaucrats are out of control of the political leadership. It shows how weak the current political leadership in power actually is. I have been saying that bureaucrats are running the state. This is a grave issue that the CM must look into.”Also read | ‘Serve Himachal, not rule’: Vikramaditya Singh echoes deputy CM, says some UP, Bihar officers not working in state’s interestWhat is other ministers’ position?The row snowballed when some Congress ministers openly hit out at Vikramaditya and questioned his way of functioning. Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh, Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi and Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani criticised his remarks.Singh and Dharmani even stated that the ministers should know how to get work done by the officers, adding that Vikramaditya should take up his concerns with CM Sukhu instead of voicing it on social media.Education Minister Rohit Thakur however extended his support to Vikramaditya, urging the CM to address the latter’s grievances.On Monday, many Congress workers came out in Vikramaditya’s support over the row. They also went to his Shimla residence, with some of them carrying placards that read, “We stand with Vikramaditya Singh”.How did IAS, IPS bodies react?The IAS and IPS Associations of Himachal Pradesh condemned the minister’s remarks, terming them “inappropriate” and “damaging”.The IAS Association said that public statements singling out officers on the basis of their state of origin “risk causing avoidable harm to the morale and neutrality of the civil services”. It urged the state government to take appropriate steps to “safeguard the dignity, morale and neutrality of officers serving in Himachal Pradesh”.In its hard-hitting statement, the IPS Association named Vikramaditya, urging the government not to post or attach any IPS officer with him. It warned that the remarks like his post could “create distrust, weaken cohesion within the police force, and affect governance”.What is HP’s bureaucratic scene?The officers serving in the state, including those from the IAS and the IPS, are from multiple states besides HP, including UP, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Maharashtra, among others. The cadre strength of the IAS officers in HP is 153, which is allotted as per the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)’s rules depending on the performance and merit of the civil servants. The IPS cadre strength in the state is 96.What is “insider vs outsider” debate?While this perhaps marked a first when a minister openly targeted certain IAS and IPS officers from other states, the insider-versus-outsider row is not new to HP, which has even witnessed turmoil or clashes over it.most readIn September 2024, amid communal tension in Shimla over the Sanjauli mosque dispute, ministers like Anirudh and Vikramaditya claimed that “outsiders” were coming into the hill state without any verification.In July 2025, clashes between locals and several people from other states were reported in Kullu when the latter were asked to pay “green tax” for entering the special areas notified under the Special Area Development Authority (SADA).Several incidents of Kashmiri hawkers being thrashed by locals have also been reported from different parts of the state.