Harish Rawat resignation row: Why is Congress leader’s PA facing ED raids?

The decision came after ED conducted raids on the premises of Chandan Singh Jeena and seized around a dozen luxury wristwatches and ₹32 lakh in cash.

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Senior Congress leader and former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat on Saturday refuted reports of his resignation from party posts, saying he had not stepped down, as inferred from his social media post. Rawat clarified that he would be willing to resign if Enforcement Directorate (ED) action against his personal assistant Chandan Singh Jeena would lead to the weakening of Congress' stand against corruption.

In a social media post, Rawat said Congress membership runs through his “blood and bones”, while calling the recent ED searches in Dehradun as a “hypocritical spectacle”.

Row over ED raids against Rawat's PA

Harish Rawat's offered to resign after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted raids on the premises of Chandan Singh Jeena and seized around a dozen luxury wristwatches and ₹32 lakh in cash, news agency PTI reported.

Jeena is currently Rawat’s personal assistant and had earlier worked as an officer on special duty (OSD) when Rawat was Uttarakhand chief minister from 2014 to 2017.

The ED said that the raids were conducted as part of a money laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in a 2016 exam conducted by the state service selection commission.

The agenc conducted searches 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.

Why Harish Rawat offered to resign

In a post on X, Rawat said that while he did not believe the allegations of irregularities in recruitment exams levelled against Jeena, who has long been his associate, he absolutely did not want the issue to weaken the party's campaign.

“Shri Jeena is an extremely decent, humble, and hardworking person. If there is evidence that he tampered with OMR sheets during the recruitment of village development officers or committed any such error, then I am ashamed of this alleged audacious act. However, I do not believe these allegations at all,” Rawat said.

“At such a time, if any action of Harish Rawat introduces any weakness in the party's struggle, I would absolutely not want that. Therefore, having just remembered my beloved deity, I have taken a major decision: I am not on any government position, so what resignation would I tender from that!”

“Yes, 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,” he added.

‘Not resigned from Congress’

In a separate post, Rawat clarified that he has only stepped down from a position and not resigned from the Congress party. He was responding to media reports that suggested the latter.

“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,” he wrote on X.

“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 his “friends” in the media to read his post and correct the news.

“Therefore, I urge my friends in the media to read my post/tweet in its entirety and correct their news.”

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  Karishma Ayaldasani is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times, based in New Delhi, where she works with the digital team on fast-moving breaking stories from India and around the world. She enjoys covering national and global news, focusing on delivering updates quickly and clearly so readers can make sense of what’s happening as it unfolds. Comfortable in high-pressure newsroom settings, she regularly contributes to live blogs, explainers and real-time coverage. Before joining Hindustan Times, she was part of the digital team at The Indian Express, worked with the social media team at Firstpost, and spent time as a creative strategist at Clematis Advertising. Outside of work, she likes exploring different art forms and unwinds with music. With over three years of experience in fast-paced newsrooms, she brings curiosity, clarity and consistency to her work.Read More