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Top government sources say that his resignation may have been the aftermath of him considering Opposition’s resolution on Justice Varma’s impeachment.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigns.(Image: PTI/File)
Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar’s sudden resignation citing health has raised eyebrows, leading to questions if there’s more to this. Top government sources say that his resignation may have been the aftermath of him considering Opposition’s resolution on the impeachment of former Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma, over charges of corruption.
Sources say the government had planned to introduce an impeachment motion against Justice Varma in both Houses — a move they had expected to be a focal point of the Rajya Sabha’s Business Advisory Committee (BAC) agenda. However, they were reportedly stunned when Dhankhar unexpectedly brought up and acknowledged the Opposition’s resolution during the BAC meeting, stating he would take it up the next day at 1 pm. Government insiders say this caught everyone off guard, as the BAC agenda had not been circulated or finalised with regard to impeachment proceedings.
In the aftermath, the Vice‑President reportedly received multiple calls from senior ministers condemning his actions as unacceptable. Sources say senior minister described Dhankhar as having been under scrutiny for some time and cautioned that his conduct was inappropriate given his institutional position. In response, Dhankhar is said to have engaged in a heated argument, asserting that he sensed intense displeasure from the government, and eventually felt compelled to resign “as soon as possible.”
Two BAC meetings were held on Monday. The first BAC meeting was held at 12.30 pm which was attended by Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and JP Nadda. However, when the committee reconvened at 4.30pm, the leaders were absent, and Union minister L Murugan represented the government instead.
Dhankhar arrived at the President’s residence on short notice that evening to formally tender his resignation. Dhankhar’s resignation letter, submitted to President Droupadi Murmu, cited medical reasons — a move that surprised many given his active role that day, including chairing BAC discussions.
He did not attend the Rajya Sabha proceedings today, with sources indicating that he may not deliver a farewell speech, further adding to speculation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday acknowledged Dhankhar’s dedicated service to the nation across multiple roles, most notably as the Vice President of India. In a post on X, PM Modi highlighted Dhankhar’s contributions to public life and governance, and extended his wishes for his continued good health and well-being.
However, the Opposition has begun asking questions as to what really went wrong. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took to X to share the chronology of events before Dhankhar’s resignation, claiming that “something very serious happened yesterday between 1 PM and 4:30 PM to account for the deliberate absence of Shri Nadda and Shri Rijiju from the second BAC yesterday”.
“At 4:30 PM, the BAC reassembled under the chairmanship of Shri Jagdeep Dhankar. It waited for Shri Nadda and Shri Rijiju to arrive. They never came. Shri Jagdeep Dhankar was not personally informed that the two senior Ministers were not attending. Rightly he took umbrage and rescheduled the BAC for today at 1 PM,” he said on X.
“Now in a truly unprecedented move, Shri Jagdeep Dhankar has resigned. He has given health reasons for doing so. Those should be respected. But it is also a fact that there are far deeper reasons for his resignation. While always lauding post-2014 India, he spoke fearlessly for the welfare of farmers, forcefully against what he called ‘ahankar’ in public life, and strongly on judicial accountability and restraint. To the extent possible under the current G2 ruling regime, he tried to accommodate the Opposition. He was a stickler for norms, proprieties, and protocol, which he believed were being consistently disregarded in both his capacities,” he added.
Pallavi Ghosh has covered politics and Parliament for 15 years, and has reported extensively on Congress, UPA-I and UPA-II, and has now included the Finance Ministry and Niti Aayog in her reportage. She has als…Read More
Pallavi Ghosh has covered politics and Parliament for 15 years, and has reported extensively on Congress, UPA-I and UPA-II, and has now included the Finance Ministry and Niti Aayog in her reportage. She has als… Read More
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