Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and Congress leader Harish Rawat has dismissed reports of his resignation from party posts, affirming his deep loyalty to the Congress. However, he indicated a willingness to step down from his positions in protest against the Enforcement Directorate's "hypocritical circus," referring to raids conducted on his personal assistant, Chandan Singh Jeena, in connection with a money laundering probe related to alleged irregularities in the 2016 Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission recruitment examination. The ED reportedly recovered significant unaccounted cash, gold, and luxury watches from Jeena's residence. Rawat stated that his offer to resign was contingent on the investigation impacting the party's anti-corruption campaign and defended his assistant while acknowledging the possibility of mistakes during his tenure.

Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and Congress leader Harish Rawat has dismissed reports of his resignation from party posts, affirming his deep loyalty to the Congress. However, he indicated a willingness to step down from his positions in protest against the Enforcement Directorate's "hypocritical circus," referring to raids conducted on his personal assistant, Chandan Singh Jeena, in connection with a money laundering probe related to alleged irregularities in the 2016 Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission recruitment examination. The ED reportedly recovered significant unaccounted cash, gold, and luxury watches from Jeena's residence. Rawat stated that his offer to resign was contingent on the investigation impacting the party's anti-corruption campaign and defended his assistant while acknowledging the possibility of mistakes during his tenure.

Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and Congress leader Harish Rawat has dismissed reports of his resignation from party posts, affirming his deep loyalty to the Congress. However, he indicated a willingness to step down from his positions in protest against the Enforcement Directorate's "hypocritical circus," referring to raids conducted on his personal assistant, Chandan Singh Jeena, in connection with a money laundering probe related to alleged irregularities in the 2016 Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission recruitment examination. The ED reportedly recovered significant unaccounted cash, gold, and luxury watches from Jeena's residence. Rawat stated that his offer to resign was contingent on the investigation impacting the party's anti-corruption campaign and defended his assistant while acknowledging the possibility of mistakes during his tenure.

In a U-turn, former Uttarakhand chief minister and Congress leader Harish Rawat dismissed news reports that said he was resigning from his party posts.

Rawat took to X to say, “Some sections of the media are reporting the news that Harish Rawat has resigned from the Congress Party. Brother, Congress Party membership is in my blood and bones; it shapes everything that Harish Rawat is. It will go to heaven with me.”

However, he said that he would “want to resign” from his post over the Enforcement Directorate’s “hypocritical circus” that happened in Dehradun.

He also asked his “friends in the media” to “read my post/tweet in its entirety and correct their news”.

The clarification comes after the Enforcement Directorate conducted a search of the premises of Chandan Singh Jeena. Rawat’s personal assistant, who earlier served as his officer on special duty during his tenure as chief minister of the state from 2014 to 2017.

The raids are being conducted in connection with a money laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities in the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission recruitment examination conducted in 2016 during his tenure. According to the ED, around Rs 32 lakh in unaccounted cash, gold and luxury watches were recovered from Jeena's residence.

In a lengthy post earlier on Saturday, Rawat said that in respone to the raids that were happening in his PA’s residence, he wishes to step down from both these positions, because “no weakness should come into the party's struggle on my account”.

He had also defended Jeena, saying that he was a “decent and hardworking“ person. However, he said that he would be ashamed of his ‘audacious act’ if there is evidence of any “tampering with the OMR sheets in the recruitment of gram sevaks, and if there is any evidence of such a mistake on his part”.

“However, I have absolutely no faith in this allegation”, he added.

Rawat is currently 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,

He clarified that what he meant by his post was that he would be “willing” to step down from his two posts if the case against his colleague impacted the party’s campaign against corruption.

The former CM also apologised on Saturday morning for any mistake or lapse on his part during his three-year tenure.

The Congress leader was the minister of labour and employment at the centre.

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