Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar Resigns: Congress Claims Deeper Reasons Beyond Health

In a surprising move, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from his post on Monday evening, citing medical issues. His resignation, submitted to President Droupadi Murmu, comes just as the Monsoon Session of Parliament began. Dhankhar, 74, had recently undergone angioplasty at AIIMS in Delhi.

While the official reason given is health-related, the Congress party believes there is more to the story.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh pointed out that Dhankhar was actively engaged in parliamentary duties just hours before his resignation. He chaired a meeting of the Rajya Sabha’s Business Advisory Committee (BAC) at 12:30 p.m. on Monday and scheduled another for 4:30 p.m. the same day. However, key ministers JP Nadda and Kiren Rijiju did not attend the second meeting, and Dhankhar was reportedly not informed in advance. Ramesh suggested that something significant may have occurred between the two meetings that led to Dhankhar's decision.

“His resignation speaks highly of him, but poorly of those who supported his appointment,” Ramesh stated, adding that Dhankhar had always stood for protocol, accountability, and the welfare of farmers.

The Congress has called Dhankhar's choice "totally unexpected" and a loss for the country, and has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to beg him to change it.  During his tenure, they emphasized Dhankhar's attempts to maintain a balance between his relations with the government and the opposition.

Dhankhar had assumed office in August 2022 and was set to serve until 2027. His abrupt departure was unusual in Indian political history because he was also the chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

Polls to elect the next Vice-President will be held soon as per constitutional requirements.