Himachal Pradesh Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar on Thursday said there was no need for him to resign, as the issues being faced by his son regarding transfer and adjustments within his constituency had been resolved.
His statement came a day after his son, Neeraj Bharti, posted on Facebook that his father would be stepping down.
“Neeraj had some issues regarding transfers and adjustment in the constituency; the matter was resolved. He is young and sometimes speaks in anger but the matter is resolved," Kumar told mediapersons here.
The minister said that transfers are a major Pandora's Box across departments, particularly in education, and noted that at times, undeserving individuals get involved in the process, damaging the reputation of both elected representatives and the government.
"I do not get involved in transfer as it is a criminal waste of time. Some of our workers have made transfers as their occupation. It has become a tradition that even when small workers meet the CM, they urge for transfer and sometimes the CM also discourages them," the minister said.
Kumar, a six-time MLA and former Member of Parliament, said he strongly opposed the practice of turning transfers into a profession and emphasised the need for a clear and fair transfer policy.
On Wednesday around 8:30 pm, his son Neeraj Bharti posted on Facebook, stating, “Kal Chaudhary Chander Kumar mantripad se istifa denge. Kaam agar dalalon ke honge to mantri ban kar kya fayda” (Tomorrow Chaudhary Chander Kumar will resign from the ministerial post. If the work of middlemen is being done then what is the use of becoming a minister).
Two hours later, he deleted the post and wrote that an assurance had been given and Kumar would speak with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
Later in another post, Bharti said, "I had an argument with my father today regarding the Jawali assembly constituency represented by him and I told him to resign if works of the BJP are being done and also take suggestions from the Congress workers whether he should remain an MLA or not."
"When some middlemen are taking money and getting works of the BJP people done in the Congress government, it is better to resign from the post. Talks will be held with the CM and it would be fine if infiltration of middlemen is stopped in the constituency, else resignation will be given," Bharti said.
Kumar accompanied Sukhu and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri on their tour of the Theog assembly segment in Shimla district on Wednesday for the inauguration of a bus stand.
Addressing a gathering, Kumar said both the Chief Minister and the deputy chief minister were fully committed to Theog's development. He also recalled the significant contributions of former minister Vidya Stokes and former chief minister Virbhadra Singh in shaping the region.
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