Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat announced on Saturday that he has offered to resign from two positions within the Congress party. This development follows a raid by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the premises of his personal assistant, Chandan Singh Jeena. The raid is part of a money laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in a 2016 state recruitment exam, during which authorities recovered cash, gold, and luxury watches.
Rawat’s decision comes amid speculation about his resignation from the Congress, although he has clarified that he is stepping down from party roles in light of the ongoing investigation.
“I am not holding any government post, so there is no question of resigning from one. However, I am a member of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee executive and a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee at the national level. The searches were carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act at multiple locations in Dehradun, including those belonging to the former chairman, secretary and exam controller of the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC), the owner of a private computer agency engaged in processing OMR sheets and some alleged middlemen. ED did not name the chairman and secretary in its statement.
Because i do not want the party’s struggle to be weakened in any way because of me,” he said on X, i would like to respectfully step down from both these positions,. ED said in a statement on Friday that it had raided Jeena on Thursday and seized cash worth ₹ 32 lakh and a dozen luxury wristwatches. Jeena is currently serving as a personal assistant (PA) to Rawat and had earlier served as officer on special duty (OSD) during the Congress leader’s tenure as chief minister from 2014-17.
The Congress leader said he wished to step down as a member of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee and as a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee at the national level if the ED actions undermine the Congress’ narrative of fighting corruption. He said he didn’t want any action or conduct on his part to weaken party’s ongoing fight. The answer sheets were diverted from UKSSSC’s secure custody to the private residence of its then secretary, the agency said. “Investigation has revealed that OMR sheets were diverted from UKSSSC’s secure custody to the private residence of the then Secretary, UKSSSC, where the roll numbers of under-filled OMR sheets were noted down and handed over to private computer-agency personnel to fraudulently fill and alter answer bubbles before re-sealing—in exchange for illegal gratification routed through middlemen,” ED said in a statement.
