Dehradun, September 12, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Senior Congress leader and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has resigned from his positions in the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee and the Congress Working Committee following an Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid on his former OSD Chandan Singh Jeena.
The ED action was part of a money laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in a 2016 recruitment examination conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC). Cash and jewellery were reportedly recovered during the searches.
Announcing his decision on X, Rawat acknowledged that Jeena had served as his OSD and held important responsibilities during his political and government career. However, he said he did not want the developments surrounding his associate to weaken the Congress party’s political struggle against corruption.
Rawat described Jeena as a “humble and hardworking” person but said he would be ashamed if evidence emerged that Jeena had tampered with OMR sheets during the recruitment of gram sevaks. At the same time, he said he had “absolutely no faith” in the allegation against his aide.
With the Uttarakhand Assembly elections approaching, Rawat said Congress workers were united in their fight against corruption and referred to party leader Rahul Gandhi’s campaign against alleged irregularities in the education system.
He also alleged that the central agencies’ action was being used to create a political narrative against Congress. Rawat said that while he held no government position, he was an executive member of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee and a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee, and therefore decided to step down from both posts.
Defending decisions taken during his tenure, Rawat said the UKSSSC and other recruitment mechanisms were established with the future of Uttarakhand’s youth in mind. He claimed that more than 42,000 government recruitments were made during Congress’s three-year tenure.
Rawat also defended the appointment of the UKSSSC chairman, saying it was based on the official’s previous service record and that he had acted after receiving complaints. He said former Chief Minister Major General Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri (Retd.) had advised him regarding the appointment.
Rawat acknowledged that if any decision taken during his tenure adversely affected the future of the state’s youth, he would seek forgiveness from the people.
He further challenged anyone with evidence of his involvement in recruitment-related wrongdoing to submit it to the CBI, ED or Uttarakhand Police, saying that if he had committed any lapse, the law should punish him.
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