Harish Rawat to offer resignation from party posts to leadership

Congress leader Harish Rawat announced he will resign from all party posts after the ED recovered cash and jewellery from his PA. The former Uttarakhand CM said he did not want his actions to disrupt the party's fight on any issue in the state.

Congress leader and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Sunday said that he will take his proposal regarding his resignation from all party posts to the Congress leadership and send a letter to the state president. Speaking to ANI in Delhi, Rawat said that his decision was aimed at ensuring that his actions do not disrupt the party's fight on any issue in the state, as large amounts of cash and jewellery were recently recovered by the Enforcement Directorate from Rawat's PA, Chandan Singh Jeena.

Speaking to ANI, he said, "I will take my proposal to the leadership for now. I will meet him and send a letter to the state president. There's no such proposal that would cause anyone to be upset. If we fight on one issue in the state, I shouldn't cause any disruption in that fight. That's why I made that offer," Rawat said.

Rawat on Karnataka politics

On similar turmoil unfolding in Karnataka, Rawat said that the decision to induct leaders should be taken by the concerned leadership. "DK Shivakumar's work is being widely praised. Siddaramaiah has also done a great job at this time, but there is an atmosphere of anger in Karnataka right now, so many people want to strengthen the CM's hand. It's a very good thing; now he or the party's central leadership has the right to decide who to take and who not to take," he said.

Resignation follows ED raid on PA

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Rawat stepped down from two Congress posts on Friday after a large amount of cash, jewellery and other valuables were recovered by the Enforcement Directorate from the possession of his PA, Chandan Singh Jeena. Rawat said the facts of the matter would become clear in due course.

The former CM was a member of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee executive and a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee at the national level. Rawat said he did not want any action or conduct on his part to weaken the party’s ongoing fight. “Therefore, after remembering my Isht Devta, I have taken a major decision. I am not holding any government post, so there is no question of resigning from one. However, I am a member of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee executive and a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee at the national level. I would like to respectfully step down from both these positions, because I do not want the party’s struggle to be weakened in any way because of me,” he said.

On Friday, ED said it conducted searches at multiple locations in Dehradun in connection with alleged large-scale irregularities in the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari (VPDO) Examination, 2016, recovering Rs 32 lakh in unaccounted cash, gold and luxury watches from the residence of Chandan Singh Jeena, presently serving as Personal Assistant to Harish Singh Rawat. (ANI)

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