Uttarakhand: Ahead of the Uttarakhand Assembly election, former Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Friday announced his resignation from two key positions in Congress after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) recovered a heavy amount of cash from his personal assistant, Chandan Singh Jeena. The raid was conducted at several sites in Dehradun in connection with the allegations of irregularities in a 2016 state-level exam.
What Did Harish Rawat Say?
In his statement, Rawat stated that he has decided to step down as a member of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee executive and as a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee. The veteran alleged that Jeena was being wrongly framed, adding that he does not want to weaken the Congress' fight against the corruption.
"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," Rawat said in his statement.
'Jeena Being Falsely Framed'
While describing Jeena as "honest" and "hard working", Rawat hinted that the recent action was purely due to the coming polls. However, the former chief minister also asserted that it would be shameful for him if any evidence of tempering was found against his assistant.
"If he tampered with OMR sheets in the Gram Sevak recruitment examination and there is evidence of such wrongdoing, then I am ashamed of this alleged act. However, I do not believe this allegation at all," Rawat stated.
The ED seized Rs 32 cash, gold coins, chains, and 12 luxury watches from Jeena's residence during its search on Friday. The election in Uttarakhand is likely to be held in the early months of 2027.