BJP's arrogance, anxiety behind ED summons, says Harish Rawat

Former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat attributed the ED summons he received to BJP's 'electoral anxiety' for upcoming state polls. He stated that it's not the ED but the 'arrogance of power' that has summoned him in the UKSSSC VPDO exam case.

Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Sunday said BJP's electoral anxiety for ensuing state Assembly polls has led to a summons being issued to him by the Enforcement Directorate. In a post on X, Rawat said, "My experience has been a mix of some sweetness, some excitement, and also some disappointment. The worry isn't mine alone—it's for the country and society. If governments operate with a spirit of revenge, how will the nation function? It's not ED, but the arrogance of power and electoral anxieties that have summoned me here. We will address these concerns. Thanks ED, thanks BJP—you've brought me to Dehradun; now let's see what comes next."

Probe Linked to UKSSSC Exam Irregularities

The development comes after the ED conducted searches at multiple locations in Dehradun in connection with its probe into alleged large-scale irregularities in the 2016 UKSSSC VPDO examination. The agency had searched the premises of Rawat’s personal assistant, Chandan Singh Jeena, and reported the recovery of Rs 32 lakh in unaccounted cash, gold and luxury watches.The ED action had also been followed by Rawat’s decision to step down from two Congress positions on September 11. Rawat had said he did not want any action or conduct on his part to weaken the party’s ongoing fight.

ED Seeks Family's Asset Details

On the ED questioning, former Chief Minister Harish Rawat told ANI, "They asked for papers concerning our assets. I took along my wife's passbook, the post-office passbook, and details of some of my own assets. However, they also wanted information on the assets of all my family members, including ancestral property. Since the ancestral property in our village is undivided, shared among the entire village, gathering the relevant land records would take time."Rawat said he explained the practical difficulty to ED officials. "They said I could send the rest in 20 or 25 days, whenever I was ready... We had already declared certain assets in our ITRs, and they wanted us to submit those details to them. I reiterated that our assets were exactly as declared in those filings. They insisted on having those documents," he said. (ANI)(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)