Dehradun: Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has clarified that he has not resigned from the Congress. He said his earlier remarks were about stepping down from two organisational positions if the recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) episode in Dehradun weakened the party’s anti-corruption campaign.
Rawat said his connection with the Congress remains strong and that he has no intention of leaving the party. He described Congress membership as being deeply rooted in him.
His clarification came after his earlier Facebook post was widely understood as an announcement of his resignation.
Rawat currently serves as a member of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee executive and as a permanent invitee to the AICC Working Committee. He said he would consider resigning from these posts if the controversy damaged the party’s political fight against corruption.
The issue is linked to reports of cash and jewellery being seized from Jina, Rawat’s former Officer on Special Duty and aide, in Dehradun. Rawat said the facts would emerge with time but defended Jina, describing him as a hardworking person who had handled key responsibilities.
Rawat also said he would be ashamed if his former aide was found to have tampered with OMR sheets during the recruitment of village development officers. However, he said he currently did not believe the allegations.
He further said more than 42,000 government posts were filled during his three-year tenure as chief minister and acknowledged that there could have been errors of judgement in the recruitment process.
Rawat said he was ready to face accountability if evidence showed that he had knowingly or unknowingly harmed the interests of Uttarakhand’s youth. He also urged anyone with evidence against him to approach the CBI, ED or state police.
His latest statement makes clear that Rawat has not quit the Congress and has not yet resigned from either organisational post.