Don't want to weaken party: Harish Rawat quits Congress posts amid cash row

Harish Rawat resigned from his Congress posts after reports linked his former aide to a cash and recruitment controversy. He said he did not want any action associated with him to weaken the party's anti-corruption fight before the Uttarakhand polls.

In Short

• Rawat said he resigned to avoid hurting Congress before Uttarakhand elections
• He addressed reports of cash and jewellery seized from aide Jina
• Rawat defended Jina, but said proven OMR tampering would shame him

Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has resigned from his posts in the Congress, saying he does not want anything associated with him to weaken the party's fight against corruption ahead of the state Assembly elections.

In a Facebook post, Rawat referred to reports that a large amount of cash and jewellery had been seized from his former OSD and aide, Jina, in Dehradun. Rawat said the facts surrounding the seizure would become clear in due course, while defending Jina as a "gentle" and hardworking person.

Rawat said Jina had served as his OSD and had handled important responsibilities during his tenure in government as well as in the party.

He added that if Jina was found to have tampered with OMR sheets in the recruitment of village development officers, and there was evidence to establish his involvement, he would be "ashamed" of such an act. However, Rawat said he did not believe the allegations against his former aide.

'DON'T WANT TO WEAKEN PARTY'S FIGHT'

Rawat said the Uttarakhand elections carried high stakes and recalled that he had often joked that elections would be held when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) knocked on 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 fighting against corruption and referred to party leader Rahul Gandhi's campaign against corruption in the education system.

"At such a time, if any action of Harish Rawat weakens the party's struggle, I would not want that," he said.

Rawat said he was not holding any government post but was a member of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee executive and a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee. He said he would "very humbly" step down from both positions.

RAWAT SEEKS PROBE INTO RECRUITMENT IRREGULARITIES

Addressing questions surrounding the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission, Rawat defended the steps taken by his government to strengthen recruitment mechanisms and said more than 42,000 government posts were filled during its three-year tenure.

He said his government had created recruitment boards for areas including medical and education services and had pushed the Public Service Commission to conduct examinations on time.

Rawat acknowledged that there could have been "errors of judgement" during the process and apologised to the people of Uttarakhand if any such mistakes had affected the future of the state's youth.

He also spoke about the appointment of a former chairman of the Subordinate Service Selection Commission, saying the appointment had been based on the person's service record. Rawat said he had removed the chairman or sought his resignation after receiving complaints.

He said former Chief Minister Major General BC Khanduri had advised him on the appointment and had met him twice regarding it.

'IF I AM INVOLVED, LAW SHOULD PUNISH ME'

Rawat said irregularities in government recruitment and examinations amounted to "playing with the future" of the next generation. He said he should be held accountable if he had knowingly or unknowingly contributed to any such wrongdoing.

He appealed to anyone possessing evidence of his involvement in interference in recruitment matters to submit it to the CBI, Enforcement Directorate or state police.

Rawat said people entrusted with public responsibilities must avoid such temptations and reiterated that if he had made any such mistake, he considered himself deserving of punishment and said the law should take its course.

- Ends