Senior Congress leader and former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat on Saturday refuted reports of his resignation from party posts, saying he had not stepped down, as inferred from his social media post. Rawat clarified that he would be willing to resign if Enforcement Directorate (ED) action against his personal assistant Chandan Singh Jeena would lead to the weakening of Congress’ stand against corruption.
Row over ED raids against Rawat’s PA
“Shri Jeena is an extremely decent, humble, and hardworking person. If there is evidence that he tampered with OMR sheets during the recruitment of village development officers or committed any such error, then I am ashamed of this alleged audacious act. “At such a time, if any action of Harish Rawat introduces any weakness in the party’s struggle, I would absolutely not want that.
Jeena is currently Rawat’s personal assistant and had earlier worked as an officer on special duty (OSD) when Rawat was Uttarakhand chief minister from 2014 to 2017. The ED said that the raids were conducted as part of a money laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in a 2016 exam conducted by the state service selection commission. Therefore, having just remembered my beloved deity, I have taken a major decision: I am not on any government position, so what resignation would I tender from that!
In a social media post, Rawat said Congress membership runs through his “blood and bones”, while calling the recent ED searches in Dehradun as a “hypocritical spectacle”. In a post on X, Rawat said that while he did not believe the allegations of irregularities in recruitment exams levelled against Jeena, who has long been his associate, he absolutely did not want the issue to weaken the party’s campaign. However, I do not believe these allegations at all,” Rawat said. “Yes, I am a member of the executive of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee and a permanent invitee member of the Congress Working Committee at the national level, and with utmost humility, I wish to step down from both these positions, because no weakness should come into the party’s struggle on my account,” he added. Earlier reporting noted: In a social media post, Rawat said Congress membership runs through his “blood and bones”, describing it as central to his identity and something that would remain with him even in the afterlife. Earlier reporting noted: Referring to the recent ED searches in Dehradun as a “hypocritical spectacle”, the former chief minister said he did not want any of his actions to weaken the party’s struggle against corruption.
Earlier reporting noted: Harish Rawat clarifies he hasn’t quit Congress posts, but may resign over ED action Senior Congress leader and former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat on Saturday clarified that he has not resigned from any party post , saying he would be willing to step down from the positions he holds if Enforcement Directorate (ED) actions undermine the Congress’s narrative of fighting corruption.
