Dhankhar seen in public for 1st time time since retirement, may shift to Abhay Chautala’s farmhouse

Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned as Vice President on the first day of Parliament session, citing health concerns

A month after his retirement, former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar stepped out of his official residence and went to the Army’s Research and Referral Hospital in Dhaula Kuan to see a dentist, stated a report by Indian Express.

The report also stated that Dhankhar  will shift to a farmhouse of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief Abhay Singh Chautala in South Delhi’s Chattarpur Enclave on Monday evening.

Dhankhar (74) has been away from the public eye since his resigned on July 21, citing health reason. “For the past month, he has been walking (inside the V-P’s official residence) and meeting his relatives and old friends at his residence. Today he came out to visit a doctor,” a source told IE.

According to the IE report, the former VP conveyed to security agencies that he will shift to a private accommodation in Gadaipur DLF farms, Chattarpur Enclave, around 5 pm on Monday. "Many of the belongings have already been shifted, while several household items have been moved to a flat inside the V-P’s official residence,” the source said.

Chautala also told IE that Dhankar is shifting to his farmhouse. “We have old family relations, and he did not ask me for a house; I offered him one,” he said.

Meanwhile, last week, Dhankhar  applied for pension as a former legislator in Rajasthan, officials todl PTI.

Dhankhar, who represented the Kishangarh Assembly constituency as a Congress MLA from 1993 to 1998, received pension as a former legislator until July 2019. It was discontinued after he was appointed the governor of West Bengal.

The secretariat has initiated the process, and the pension will be applicable from the date his resignation as the vice-president was accepted, they said.

The pension for a former MLA in Rajasthan starts at Rs 35,000 per month for a single term, and goes up with additional terms and age. Those above 70 receive a 20 per cent hike.

Dhankhar is entitled to Rs 42,000 pension per month as a former legislator, the officials said.