Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], September 15 : Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat  reacted to the Enforcement Directorate's searches at the residence of his former aide Chandan Singh Jeena, saying investigating agencies should scrutinise his entire three-year tenure and set up a commission to examine decisions taken during his government.
In a post on X, Rawat wrote, "I extend an invitation to the ED, CBI, and all investigating agencies. I served as Chief Minister of Uttarakhand for three years; kindly go ahead and scrutinise my entire tenure. I know that on two previous occasions, files from various decisions during my government’s time have been dug into. I want you to dig into them once again, and wherever you need to raid to uncover my so-called hidden treasure, go ahead and raid,” he wrote.
“Also, thoroughly investigate the sting operation that took place during my tenure and the circumstances that led to the imposition of President’s Rule. Investigate all those leaders too, whether they were at the national level or the state level. I’m compelled to say this because, technically, I was Chief Minister for three years, but one of those years was messed up by President’s Rule. Even so, seeing me still gives many people a stomachache. I’ve been out of power for ten years now, yet their cramps haven’t eased; they still torment me. Sometimes it’s a sting, sometimes a sticker, sometimes a server; everyone strikes at Harish Rawat in their own way, and it’s natural; in a democracy, as long as we’re alive, people will strike. Some strike in healthy ways, some in unhealthy ways. Some strike openly, some through whispers and malicious propaganda. That’s why I urge you: set up a commission and definitely investigate my three-year tenure," he added.
Reacting to the ED search at Jeena's residence, Rawat wrote that Jeena had been working with him since 1991 and had served as a small part of the government machinery.
He wrote, “Chandan Jeena has been working with me since 1991, a period during which I held high-ranking positions. I paid him a decent salary, especially since the staff was minimal back then; Chandan Jeena was essentially a round-the-clock employee. To this day, there has never been a time when he went unpaid. He served with unwavering loyalty; his humility, courtesy, patience, and respectful nature towards everyone proved to be a great asset to me in the political arena. However, there were some associates of mine who, regardless of whether they held any real power, were prone to bluster and posturing. Chandan would always greet everyone with folded hands, inviting them to come in and sit down.”
He also addressed allegations regarding money recovered during the ED search, saying that during his illness and treatment in Delhi, he had sought financial help from friends to manage household expenses.
Rawat further wrote, “When I recently came to Delhi for medical treatment due to illness, I needed some funds to run the household after all; I have a full staff at home, and there are expenses like the Defence Colony rent and electricity bills to cover. During my illness, I reached out to several people and sent messages asking, "Friends, please send some funds so that my household expenses could be met." I want to share with my friends that while I was admitted to Medanta Hospital, people from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and various other places came to visit and contributed towards my medical expenses. When I returned from Medanta to my temporary residence, I had ₹12 lakh with me; though, of course, it takes time to process and deposit such amounts into accounts. People help us because we have served them and nurtured relationships over the years. Throughout my long political career and the many elections I have contested, I never amassed personal wealth, yet I never faced any shortage either. People helped me wholeheartedly because I never demanded money, neither as a "service charge" for granting political posts nor in exchange for getting work done.”
He further added that people had helped him throughout his political career and claimed that he had never taken "service charge" money from anyone in exchange for a political post or getting work done.
"After serving in such major positions for so many years, couldn't Harish Rawat possess one or two crore? Leave Chandan Jeena out of it. Even this time, I've paid income tax above Rs 5 lakh," he further wrote.
Meanwhile, the ED conducted searches at multiple locations in Dehradun in connection with alleged large-scale irregularities in the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari (VPDO) Examination, 2016.
According to the agency, Rs 32 lakh in unaccounted cash, gold and luxury watches were recovered from the residence of Chandan Singh Jeena, who is presently serving as Personal Assistant to former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Singh Rawat.
The searches were carried out on September 10 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, the ED said in a press release issued on Friday.
The searches were conducted at the residential premises of the then Chairman and Secretary of UKSSSC, the then Exam Controller, the owner of the private computer agency engaged for OMR processing, and associated middlemen allegedly linked to the conspiracy.
The residence of Chandan Singh Jeena was also searched. Jeena had earlier served as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Harish Rawat during his tenure as Chief Minister from 2014 to 2017, the ED said.