Shimla, April 17 -- The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Friday intensified its attack on the Himachal Pradesh government, alleging a deep nexus between the real estate lobby, land mafia, and senior bureaucrats, and demanded the immediate removal of Acting Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta.

Addressing a press conference, CPI(M) State Secretary Sanjay Chauhan alleged that Gupta had acted "like a real estate dealer" and misused his official position to benefit private builders and land mafias in violation of state laws.

"We had raised this serious issue of illegal land deals on March 30. The nexus between land mafia, real estate interests, and high-ranking officers has hurt the people of Himachal Pradesh," Chauhan said.

He alleged that p...