New Delhi, Sep 14 (PTI) The BJP on Monday attacked the Congress over alleged irregularities in a 2016 exam for the recruitment of panchayat development officers in Uttarakhand during its rule and demanded answers from Rahul Gandhi for what the ruling party termed as "massive betrayal" of students.

This came after the Enforcement Directorate last week raided a personal assistant of former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat as part of a money laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in the recruitment exam conducted by the state service selection commission and seized cash worth Rs 32 lakh and valuables from his premises.

Latching on to the development, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi targeted the Congress and said, “The money and valuables recovered from the premises of former chief minister Harish Rawat’s OSD are one aspect of the matter.” “What is truly serious is the revelation that a reprehensible scam was perpetrated during the process for recruitment of village panchayat development officers,” he told reporters here.

“I want to ask Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party how massive betrayal it was with the students. We demand answers,” the BJP Rajya Sabha MP said.

The ED on September 10 raided the premises of Chandan Singh Jeena, a personal assistant of Rawat, in connection with the alleged irregularities in the 2016 exam.

Jeena had served as officer on special duty (OSD) during Rawat's tenure as chief minister from 2014-17.

Rawat said he has decided to resign from all party posts after the ED action against his personal assistant.

Trivedi said Rawat’s resignation cannot help the Congress escape from the “injustice” done to youths during its rule in Uttarakhand.

“People of the country can clearly see how the party committed this injustice against the youth of Uttarakhand,” the BJP leader said.

The ED's case registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act stems from four Uttarakhand Police and Vigilance Bureau FIRs lodged in connection with alleged irregularities in the Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari Exam conducted by the UKSSSC in 2016. PTI PK PK KVK KVK