New Delhi, September 12, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Congress leader and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Saturday denied reports that he had resigned from the party, clarifying that he had only offered to step down from two organizational positions.
Responding to media reports on X, Rawat said his association with the Congress was deeply rooted in his identity and would remain with him throughout his life.
“Some sections of the media are reporting the news that Harish Rawat has resigned from the Congress Party. Brother, Congress Party membership is in my blood and bones; it shapes everything that Harish Rawat is. It will go to heaven with me,” he said in a Hindi post.
Rawat, however, reiterated that he had offered to resign as a member of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee executive and as a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee.
He said the decision was linked to the Enforcement Directorate's recent searches in Dehradun involving his personal assistant, Chandan Singh Jeena. Rawat said he did not want allegations involving a close associate to affect the Congress' campaign against corruption.
The ED conducted searches at multiple locations in Dehradun on Thursday as part of a money laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in a 2016 recruitment examination conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC).
The agency said searches at Jeena's residence resulted in the seizure of Rs 32 lakh in unaccounted cash, gold coins and chains weighing around 200.5 grams, and 12 luxury watches, including Rolex, Rado, Piaget, Movado, Tissot and Casio Edifice.
The money laundering case stems from four FIRs registered by the Uttarakhand Police and Vigilance Bureau concerning alleged irregularities in the 2016 Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari examination.
The ED also searched premises linked to former UKSSSC officials, the owner of a private computer agency involved in OMR-sheet processing and alleged middlemen.
Rawat urged media organizations to read his original statement in full and correct reports suggesting that he had quit the Congress.