Harish Rawat says he would ‘like to resign from Congress posts’ amid corruption allegations against adviser
Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat said that the Congress party and its workers were united in the fight against corruption. File. | Photo credit: SUDERSHAN V
Former Uttarakhand chief minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat said on Saturday (12 Sep 2026) he would “like to step down” from two party posts, saying allegations against an aide should not weaken the Congress’ fight against corruption.
His statement came after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided Chandan Singh Jeen, who served as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) during Mr Rawat’s tenure as chief minister.
In a post on social media, Mr Rawat said he wanted to resign as an executive member of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee and as a standing invitee to the Congress Working Committee.
“….I have taken a major decision….I am a member of the Executive Council of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee and a standing invitee member of the National Level Congress Working Committee and with utmost humility I wish to resign from both these positions as in my view no weakness should come into the party struggle.”
Mr Rawat linked the ED’s action to what he described as an attempt to build a narrative against him. He said he often joked that the Uttarakhand elections would begin when the CBI “knocks on my door”.
This time, he claimed, an attempt was made to “knock on the house of one of my associates and make up a story.”
Mr. Rawat described Mr. Jeena as a “noble, humble and hardworking individual” but said that if there was evidence of his involvement in the manipulation of OMR sheets in the recruitment of gram sevaks, he would be “ashamed” of the act.
The allegations relate to irregularities in recruitment examinations, including those conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) during Mr Rawat’s tenure.
Defending his government’s record, Mr Rawat said it had set up recruitment commissions and strengthened the recruitment process. He claimed that more than 42,000 government recruitments were made during his three-year tenure.
He also said that anyone having evidence of his involvement in recruitment irregularities should approach the CBI, ED or state police.
“If there has been any misconduct on my part, I consider myself a deserved punishment and the law should punish me,” he said, seeking forgiveness from the people of Uttarakhand if any decision taken during his tenure harmed the future of the state’s youth.
‘Political Color’
Reacting to the ED raids, Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal said the “so-called investigation” dates back to 2016 and questioned why it took 11 years for the Center to act.
He said the then Harish Rawat government, after receiving information about the irregularities, canceled the examination and ordered an inquiry.
He further alleged that the ED raids on Mr Rawat’s former associate were an attempt to give the matter a “political colour”.
BJP state president Mahendra Bhatt said that the UKSSSC case has been under investigation for a long time and urged Congress leaders to cooperate with the ED.
“We expect the truth to come out and the facts to be clear. Congress members should not politicize the matter but present the facts before the ED so that justice is served,” Mr Bhatt said.
On Harish Rawat’s offer to resign from party posts, Mr Bhatt said he was a senior Congress leader and should now quit politics, claiming his social media posts were aimed at garnering sympathy.
Published – 12 Sep 2026 10:19 IST