Shimla, June 7 -- Former Congress MLA Neeraj Bharti has been expelled from the party's primary membership for six years due to "anti-party" activities. In an order issued on Saturday, District Congress Committee Kangra president Anurag Sharma said, "Considering the anti-party activities and conduct found against the organisational discipline and party interests, it has been decided to expel you from primary membership of the Indian National Congress for 6 years with immediate effect." Earlier during the day, Himachal Pradesh agriculture minister Chander Kumar termed the accusations made by his son and former MLA Neeraj Bharti against chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu as "baseless and without facts." Bharti resigned as vice-president of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) on Thursday, submitting his resignation to state unit president Vinay Kumar and district president Anurag Sharma. The move came hours after Sharma served him a show-cause notice for repeatedly criticising the state government on social media. The party accepted the resignation on Friday, and Bharti's social media accounts have since been blocked following a subsequent barrage of critical posts. Addressing the media in Shimla, the 82-year-old minister said that allegations made without facts damage the image of both the party and the government. Kumar emphasised that while the Congress is a democratic organisation where everyone has a right to express their views, objections must be raised through established party forums rather than public platforms. He added that the leadership is taking the matter seriously and will seek a solution through dialogue, noting that while opposition criticism is natural, public rhetoric against one's own government by senior office-bearers is entirely inappropriate. In his two-page resignation letter, Bharti expressed dissatisfaction with the administrative functioning under chief minister Sukhu, claiming the administration has let down the grassroots workers who fought to establish the government. Comparing Sukhu's leadership unfavourably to his time as a chief parliamentary secretary under the late Virbhadra Singh, Bharti alleged that the present government offers only excuses, justifications for shortcomings, and complaints about a lack of funds. While Sukhu downplayed the issue as a minor matter that should not be blown out of proportion, the fallout has exposed rifts in the state party. Former state Congress chief Pratibha Singh backed the sentiment regarding party workers, noting she has long advocated that those who toiled for victory must be rewarded and respected. Meanwhile, the opposition has seized the opportunity to intensify its attacks on the administration. Defending the former Congress MLA, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Harsh Mahajan said that he knows Bharti personally as someone who speaks frankly about what he sees. Mahajan alleged that anyone speaking against the Sukhu government is threatened with FIRs, adding that democracy and the courts still exist. Echoing this stance, Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur termed the allegations embarrassing, claiming that silence on such a corruption scandal raises suspicion and that the chief minister will not be able to conceal the government's shortcomings for long....