Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has clarified that he has not resigned from the Congress. He said that he had only expressed his willingness to step down from his two organizational posts if the recent Enforcement Directorate incident in Dehradun were to affect the Congress party’s fight against corruption.
In a new Facebook post, Rawat said that his association with the Congress is deep and that he is not going to leave the party.
“My Congress party membership is ingrained in my blood and bones,” Rawat said, adding that the party is the reason he is where he is today, and that it will remain with him even in the afterlife.
Rawat said that if this “deceptive drama” involving the Enforcement Directorate in Dehradun affects the Congress party’s stance against corruption, he is willing to resign from the positions he currently holds in the party.
These include his position as a member of the executive committee of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee and his position as a permanent invitee to the executive committee of the All India Congress Committee.
Rawat also asked media organizations to correct reports claiming that he had already resigned and to read his earlier post in full.
Therefore, his later statement clarified that Rawat had not left the Congress and had still not resigned from either of those two posts.
In his earlier Facebook post, Rawat had referred to reports that a large amount of cash and jewelry had been seized from Jina, his former special duty officer and aide in Dehradun.
Rawat said that the facts surrounding the seizure would become clear over time. He also defended Jina, describing him as a humble and hardworking person who had handled important responsibilities while Rawat was in the government and in the party.
He said that if, while appointing village development officers, it was found that Gina had committed irregularities and there was evidence to prove his involvement in it, he would be ashamed of such an act. At the same time, Rawat said that he did not believe the allegations against his former aide.
Rawat, who said that the Congress and its workers have been fighting against corruption, also pointed to Rahul Gandhi’s campaign against corruption in the education department.
He also said that he did not want any action related to him to weaken the party’s struggle.
Rawat also responded to questions related to the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission and the recruitment irregularities that took place during his tenure as Chief Minister.
He said that more than 42,000 government posts were filled during his government’s three-year term, and acknowledged that there may have been “errors in decision-making” in the recruitment process.
Rawat said he was ready to take responsibility if there was evidence that he had done anything, knowingly or unknowingly, that harmed the future of the state’s youth.
Furthermore, he appealed to anyone who has evidence of his involvement in irregularities related to the objection to submit it to the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate, or the state police.
His recent Facebook post aims to clarify that his remarks were only about resigning from two Congress posts, and not about leaving the party.
