Garhwal Post Bureau
DEHRADUN, 12 Sep: The political atmosphere in Uttarakhand has heated up ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections following Enforcement Directorate raids on the residence of Chandan Singh Jeena, former OSD to ex Chief Minister Harish Rawat and currently his PA. The BJP has seized the opportunity to attack the Congress, while the Opposition has come out in defence of Rawat, alleging that the action is politically driven.
It may be recalled that the raids were allegedly conducted in connection with alleged irregularities in the UKSSSC Village Panchayat Development Officer examination of 2016. The ED claimed to have recovered Rs 32 lakh in cash, luxury watches and gold, with the total value of seized assets amounting to around Rs 1.32 crore. Jeena, who was then Secretary of the Commission, is accused of facilitating tampering with OMR sheets. According to the investigating officials, the sheets kept in safe custody were allegedly taken to his residence, handed over to a private computer agency and manipulated before being resealed.
Reacting to the charges levelled by the ED, Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal ton Saturday claimed that the timing of the raids clearly indicates political motives behind the raid. He argued that when elections were far away, no such action was taken, but now with the polls approaching fast, the ED has suddenly intensified investigations. He described the move as political vendetta, pointing out that Rawat had himself cancelled the examination in 2016 and ordered an inquiry. Godiyal also dismissed reports of Rawat’s resignation, clarifying that the former Chief Minister only expressed his desire not to put the party in an uncomfortable position. He insisted that Rawat’s faith in the Congress remains intact.
Former state Congress president Karan Mahara also criticised the raids and has claimed that the BJP has a pattern of using agencies before the elections in different states. He questioned why the matter was revived after a decade, noting that if money was allegedly taken in 2016, it was implausible for the same cash to remain untouched for ten years, especially after demonetisation. He argued that linking assets solely to corruption without examining sources of income and savings was unjustified. Mahara said the entire exercise was aimed at weakening Congress’s prospects and putting Rawat under pressure.
Ram Nagar block chief Sanjay Negi, considered close to Rawat, said the action was intended to target the senior leader by harassing his associates. He described Rawat as a strong pillar of the Congress who would not bow to pressure and expressed confidence that he would emerge resilient from the controversy.
