Dehradun: Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat has launched a strong defence of his long-time aide Chandan Singh Jeena after the Enforcement Directorate searched the latter’s residence, calling him an “honest and loyal” associate and challenging central agencies to investigate every decision taken during his tenure.
The Congress veteran has also repeatedly indicated that he wants to step down from two organisational posts assigned to him by the party following the ED action. Describing the search as “deeply unfortunate”, Rawat questioned why agencies had targeted Jeena, whom he portrayed as a minor functionary in the government system.
“Chandan Singh Jeena was only a small functionary in the government machinery. Raiding his house is deeply unfortunate,” Rawat said in a social media post.
The ED searches were linked to alleged irregularities in the 2016 recruitment examination conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC). The agency has said it recovered unaccounted cash, gold and luxury watches from Jeena’s residence.
Rawat Challenges Agencies
Addressing questions over recruitment-related decisions during the Congress government, Rawat said meetings involving the Uttarakhand Public Service Commission and the UKSSSC were ordinarily conducted either at the chief ministerial level or by the concerned secretary.
He said his administration had instructed officials that all communications and suggestions from the government should be sent through the principal secretary of the personnel department.
“We had made it clear that any communication or suggestion from the government should be routed through the principal secretary of the personnel department,” he said, maintaining that his government had respected the independence of constitutional and statutory bodies.
Rawat invited the ED, CBI and other central agencies to examine his full three-year term as chief minister. He said documents related to several decisions had already been checked twice.
“I request them to examine those files once again and discover my so-called treasure,” the senior Congress leader said.
He said Jeena had worked with him since 1991 and had remained by his side through several important phases of his political career, as reported by The New Indian Express.
Aide’s Loyalty Defended
According to Rawat, Jeena worked long hours and remained available whenever required. He also rejected any suggestion that the aide had been denied his official salary.
“He was available round the clock and discharged his duties with loyalty and honesty. There was never a time when he was not paid his salary,” Rawat said.
Rawat also sought to clarify the source and use of money received during his recent medical treatment in the Delhi-NCR region. He said he had appealed to friends and supporters for assistance with household costs, salaries of staff members, electricity bills and rent for his temporary accommodation in Defence Colony.
He said several associates from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi had additionally helped meet his medical expenses while he was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Gurugram.
“When I returned from the hospital to my temporary residence, I had ₹12 lakh with me. Depositing and reconciling such contributions in accounts takes time,” he said.
The former chief minister said the financial support had come from people who valued his long public career. Although he had fought several elections and spent decades in politics, Rawat claimed he had amassed little personal wealth and had continued to rely on the goodwill of his supporters.
In an interview with TNIE, he said, “Throughout my political career, I have never accepted money for granting anyone a political position or as a service charge for getting work done.”
Rawat once again called for a commission to review all decisions taken during his tenure as chief minister. He urged the people of Uttarakhand to study the matter independently before reaching their own conclusions.