Senior Congress leader Harish Rawat announced on Saturday that he would step down from all party posts after the Enforcement Directorate recovered cash and jewellery from the house of his personal assistant. Rawat, the former chief minister of Uttarakhand, said the move was intended to prevent any negative impact on the party’s campaign ahead of the state assembly elections scheduled for early next year.
During raids on Thursday, the ED seized a dozen luxury wristwatches and ₹32 lakh in cash from the premises of Chandan Singh Jeena, Rawat’s personal assistant. Jeena had previously served as an officer on special duty during Rawat’s tenure as chief minister from 2014 to 2017. The investigation concerns alleged irregularities in a 2016 examination conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission.
In a social media post in Hindi, Rawat expressed that he does not believe the allegations of tampering with recruitment exam papers against Jeena. He described Jeena as a “decent, humble, and hardworking person” and stated that if evidence of wrongdoing existed, he would feel ashamed. Rawat also noted that he would resign from his positions on the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee executive body and as a permanent invitee to the national Congress Working Committee.
Rawat reiterated his commitment to fighting corruption, citing Rahul Gandhi’s efforts through the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ program. He urged anyone with evidence of his involvement in any irregularities to come forward to the CBI, ED, or state police, and he apologized to the people of Uttarakhand for any lapse, pledging to accept punishment if found guilty.
