Days after Jagdeep Dhankhar’s exit, Congress leader seeks ‘vastu’ check at Parliament, VP enclave

Rajya Sabha member Pramod Tiwari (Image: ANI)

Weeks after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned as the Vice President, a Congress MP has made a bizarre demand from the central government-- a “vastu” review of both the Vice President’s Enclave and Parliament.

Rajya Sabha member Pramod Tiwari pointed towards a “vastu dosh”, mentioning that Dhankhar was the first Vice President to stay at the newly-built VP’s Enclave, however, his tenure could not be completed.

He further stated that some people say Prime Minister Narendra Modi would also not be able to complete his tenure either. Therefore, he said, both Parliament and Vice President’s enclave should be checked for vastu.

His comments came when he was asked to comment on NDA’s Vice Presidential candidate CP Radhakrishnan.

“What happened in the last 2.5 years that there was a need for the election of the Vice President? PM Modi first needs to tell the nation that. Secondly, a ritual should be performed in the Vice President’s estate. He (Jagdeep Dhankar) was the first Vice President to stay there, but he couldn’t complete his tenure. People are now talking about the new Parliament, and that PM Modi wouldn’t be able to complete this tenure either. Both these places should be checked according to Vastu, and a ritual should be performed for ‘griha shanti’,” the Member of Parliament told ANI.

Vastu (often called Vastu Shastra) is a traditional Indian architectural system that prescribes design and spatial principles to ensure harmony, prosperity and well-being.

Both the Vice President’s Enclave and the new Parliament have been constructed as part of the ambitious Central Vista project.

Dhankhar resigned as the Vice President on the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament citing medical reasons. “To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as Vice President of India, effective immediately, in accordance with Article 67(a) of the Constituton,” Dhankhar said in his letter to the President.

Dhankhar, 74, assumed office in August 2022 and his tenure was till 2027.

The ruling NDA coalition has announced Radhakrishnan as its VP nominee. The opposition, meanwhile, is still deliberating on fielding a candidate.