Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has stepped down from his positions in the Congress, saying he did not want anything linked to him to undermine the party’s campaign against corruption ahead of the state Assembly elections.
In a Facebook post, Rawat referred to reports that a substantial amount of cash and jewellery had been recovered from his former OSD and aide, Jina, in Dehradun. He said the facts behind the seizure would emerge in due course, while describing Jina as a “gentle” and hardworking individual.
Rawat said Jina had worked as his OSD and was entrusted with significant responsibilities during both his tenure in government and his time in the party.
He said that if Jina was found to have manipulated OMR sheets during the recruitment of village development officers and there was evidence proving his involvement, he would feel “ashamed” of such conduct. At the same time, Rawat maintained that he did not believe the allegations made against his former aide.
'DON'T WANT TO WEAKEN PARTY'S FIGHT'
Rawat said the Uttarakhand elections were extremely important and recalled that he had often jokingly said an election would take place when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) came knocking at his door.
“This time, instead of my house, an attempt has been made to create a narrative by knocking on the house of one of my associates,” he said.
He said the Congress and its workers were engaged in a fight against corruption and pointed to party leader Rahul Gandhi’s campaign against corruption in the education sector.
“At such a time, if any action of Harish Rawat weakens the party’s struggle, I would not want that,” he said.
Rawat clarified that although he did not hold any government position, he was serving on the executive of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee and was a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee. He said he would “very humbly” resign from both posts.
RAWAT SEEKS PROBE INTO RECRUITMENT IRREGULARITIES
Speaking about concerns surrounding the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission, Rawat defended his government’s efforts to improve recruitment systems and said more than 42,000 government vacancies were filled during its three-year tenure.
He said his government had established recruitment boards for sectors such as medical and education services and had encouraged the Public Service Commission to hold examinations within the scheduled timelines.
Rawat admitted that there may have been “errors of judgement” during the process and apologised to the people of Uttarakhand if any such mistakes had adversely affected the future of the state’s youth.
He also addressed the appointment of a former chairman of the Subordinate Service Selection Commission, saying the decision was made based on the individual’s service record. Rawat said he later removed the chairman or asked him to resign after complaints were received.
He added that former Chief Minister Major General BC Khanduri had advised him regarding the appointment and had met him twice in connection with it.
'IF I AM INVOLVED, LAW SHOULD PUNISH ME'
Rawat said irregularities in government recruitment and examinations effectively amounted to “playing with the future” of the younger generation. He said he should be held responsible if he had knowingly or unknowingly played a role in any such misconduct.
He urged anyone with evidence linking him to interference in recruitment processes to submit it to the CBI, Enforcement Directorate or the state police.
Rawat said those entrusted with public responsibilities must resist such temptations and reiterated that if he had committed any such wrongdoing, he believed he deserved punishment and that the law should take its course.
