Dhankhar's sudden resignation may have even caught govt unaware: What's the inside story?

Jagdeep Dhankhar has served less than three years as the Vice-President and chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's sudden resignation citing health reasons took the opposition parties by surprise but may have also caught the ruling alliance off guard. Till 4 pm on Monday, it was business as usual for Dhankhar who presided over the opening day of the Monsoon Session of Rajya Sabha.

However, hours later, he abruptly announced his resignation with immediate effect two years before his term was to end. "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 Constitution," he wrote in his letter to President Droupadi Murmu.

The unexpected move has triggered intense speculation among political leaders as Dhankhar on Monday addressed the House and raised several serious issues, including the impeachment motion against high court judge Yashwant Varma in the cash at home row. There was hardly any indication that he will quit just a few hours later.

This enabled him to pick the three members of inquiry panel that would go into charges against the judge. This was perhaps the first such instance when the two Houses moved in parallel for the removal of a judge.

Dhankar’s unusual moves

The Centre had announced at the all-party meeting on Sunday that Lok Sabha would make the first move against Justice Varma.

However, on Monday, Dhankhar announced receiving a letter signed by more than 50 MPs calling for the impeachment of Justice Varma. This seemed to have caught the government unawares as the letter was signed by Opposition MPs and Dhankhar admitted it. He then instructed the Secretary-General to proceed with the matter.

The government may have also have been surprised that Dhankhar allowed Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sbaha and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge speak at length on the alleged security lapse that enabled the terrorists to carry out the Pahalgam terror attack. He also raked up US President Donald Trump's claims that he dragged India to the negotiation table during Operation Sindoor.

According to a report in The Times of India, treasury benches felt that as the chairman, Dhankhar should have allowed Kharge to speak on these matters only during the upcoming debate session.

Sources also told News18 that there were murmurs around Dhankhar’s closeness lately to several opposition leaders of the Congress. He had met Mallikarjun Kharge at the VP Enclave last week and hosted Arvind Kejriwal too for a meeting on Sunday.

Dhankhar’s campaign for the return of an NJAC-like body to curb corruption in the judiciary also did not have the government on the same page, sources told News18.

Dhankhar has served less than three years as the Vice-President and chairman of the Rajya Sabha. He was elected as India’s 14th Vice-President in 2022, taking the oath on August 11, 2022.  He was admitted to AIIMS Delhi for four days in March this year due to cardiac-related ailments.