Jagdeep Dhankhar’s sudden resignation as Vice President, citing health reasons, has stirred reactions within political circles involving both the government and opposition members. His support of an opposition motion against Justice Yashwant Varma sparked a no-confidence threat from the NDA, resulting in his quick exit. Now, the focus shifts towards his replacement, leaving Dhankhar in an isolated position following the controversial move.
In New Delhi, just days after Dhankhar’s surprising resignation due to health issues, the political arena seems to have returned to a sense of normalcy. As the government and opposition engage in debates covering various topics, along with the usual disruptions in parliamentary activities, few appear to miss the former Rajya Sabha chairman’s outspoken presence. The resentment towards Dhankhar in government circles for his backing of opposition-driven motions for the ousting of Justice Yashwant Varma has shifted to speculation regarding his successor as Vice President. While the opposition attempts to exploit the situation to discredit the government, there is minimal mourning for his sudden departure, leaving the ex-VP stranded politically.
During an informal gathering of INDIA bloc parties, Rahul Gandhi and other attendees reportedly confronted Dhankhar, accusing him of causing distress during his three-year tenure through his biased behavior. While they focus on revising voter lists in Bihar, the former Vice President doesn’t appear to warrant much attention during the monsoon session of Parliament, pushing the resignation episode down the priority list, with only a few opposition members sympathizing with him.
The NDA parties have largely maintained a quiet stance regarding Dhankhar’s imminent exit from the Vice President’s position, following a brief message from PM Narendra Modi wishing him well. While government officials seek a Type-VIII residence for Dhankhar, events preceding his resignation indicate that he felt compelled to step down as the BJP and its allies prepared to file a motion of no confidence against him, just a day after he supported the notice against Justice Varma, signed by 63 opposition MPs. Reports suggest that Dhankhar’s acceptance of the opposition’s notice against Varma, despite the government’s intention to bring the motion in the LS with the support of members from all parties, stirred anger among the top members of the ruling alliance. They quickly gathered MPs’ signatures in Parliament at the office of Defense Minister Rajnath Singh to present a no-confidence motion against Dhankhar in the Rajya Sabha the next day.
A source indicated that an RS secretariat official informed Dhankhar on Monday to resign immediately or face a no-confidence motion the following day. Instead of a confrontation, Dhankhar decided to resign, delivering his resignation letter to President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan, subsequently making it public through a social media post. After acknowledging the opposition MPs’ letter against Justice Varma and issuing a ruling from the chair, Dhankhar became unreachable to senior government officials attempting to communicate with him, resulting in their absence from the evening BAC meeting. The notice from LS MPs intending to remove Justice Varma was presented to Speaker Om Birla by a group of MPs led by senior BJP member Ravi Shankar Prasad, who acted swiftly upon discovering that Dhankhar had established communication channels with opposition MPs seeking their notice on the matter.
