Uttarakhand, Sept. 12: Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat resigned from two Congress posts following an ED search linked to a recruitment case.
Rawat resigned as an executive member of the Uttarakhand Congress Committee and as a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee.
He said he took the decision to protect the reputation of the Congress party.
The resignations came after the Enforcement Directorate seized cash, gold and other valuables from the house of Rawat’s former aide Chandan Singh.
Rawat said the facts of the case would emerge soon. He also said he would accept punishment if evidence showed his involvement.
Harish Rawat Resigns After ED Search
The ED searched Chandan Singh’s house on September 10 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Officials seized cash, gold and luxury watches valued at around Rs 32 lakh, according to the report.
The search relates to alleged irregularities in a 2016 Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari recruitment examination.
The Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission conducted the examination.
Chandan Singh worked as an OSD during Rawat’s tenure as Uttarakhand Chief Minister from 2014 to 2017.
The ED also searched premises linked to the UKSSSC chairman, examination controller, OMR processing agency owner and alleged middlemen.
Rawat said that if investigators find evidence against him, they should hand it over to the CBI and ED.
He said he would deserve punishment if he knowingly or unknowingly committed any wrongdoing.
Rawat also apologised to the people of Uttarakhand over the controversy.
He said he was not holding any government post but chose to resign from his remaining party positions.
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