Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], September 12 (ANI): Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat has denied reports of the media claiming that he has resigned from the Congress party.
Rejecting the reports, Rawat said on X, “Congress party membership is in my blood and bones. Whatever Harish Rawat is today has been built by the Congress, and it will go with me even to heaven.”
Rawat clarified that he had only expressed his willingness to resign from the organisational posts he currently holds — as a member of the Pradesh Congress Committee and the AICC Working Committee — if the “hypocritical drama” surrounding the ED action in Dehradun affects the Congress narrative of fighting corruption.
"Yes, if the ED's hypocritical circus that happened in Dehradun yesterday or the day before has any impact on the narrative of fighting against corruption in the Congress Party, then the positions I hold in the party—member of the state executive and member of the AICC working committee—I would want to resign from those positions," he added.
He urged media persons to read his post in its entirety and correct their reports accordingly.
Meanwhile, a large amount of cash, jewellery and other valuables were recovered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) from the possession of Rawat's PA, Chandan Singh Jeena. Rawat said the facts of the matter would become clear in due course.
ED on Friday said it conducted searches at multiple locations in Dehradun in connection with alleged large-scale irregularities in the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari (VPDO) Examination, 2016, recovering Rs 32 lakh in unaccounted cash, gold and luxury watches from the residence of Chandan Singh Jeena, presently serving as Personal Assistant to former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Singh Rawat.
The searches were carried out on September 10 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, the ED said in a press release issued on Friday.
According to the agency, searches were conducted at the residential premises of the then Chairman and Secretary of UKSSSC, the then Exam Controller, the owner of the private computer agency engaged for OMR processing, and associated middlemen allegedly linked to the conspiracy.
The residence of Chandan Singh Jeena was also searched. Jeena had earlier served as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Harish Rawat during his tenure as Chief Minister from 2014 to 2017, the ED said. (ANI)
Uttarakhand: Harish Rawat denies claim of resignation from Congress posts
