Jagdeep Dhankhar made 'unscheduled visit' to Rashtrapati Bhawan before resigning: Report

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar stepped down from his post on Monday night after making an unannounced visit to Rashtrapati Bhavan, news agency PTI reported, citing sources. Dhankhar met with President Droupadi Murmu around 9 pm and submitted his resignation. Roughly 30 minutes later, he made the resignation letter public on X.

"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," said Dhankhar

 

 

 

 

 

Dhankhar, who took office in August 2022, was scheduled to serve until August 2027. His resignation also brings his tenure as the ex officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha to an early end.

Speculation around Jagdeep Dhankhar’s sudden resignation as Vice President continued, as the opposition pressed the government for an explanation behind the unexpected move. With the government and the BJP maintaining a conspicuous silence on Dhankhar's sudden resignation, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge implied that there could be something suspicious behind the sudden move.

“The government should answer why he resigned. I can see 'dal mein kuch kaala hai'. His health is fine. He always defended the RSS and the BJP. Who and what is behind his resignation should be known to the country,” said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who often disagreed with Dhankhar in the Rajya Sabha.

Dhankhar's explanation was met with scepticism, as opposition MPs pointed out that the former West Bengal governor seemed to be in good health. Even West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has often opposed Dhankhar politically, said he was healthy and doing fine.

What added to the speculation of a disagreement was a brief tweet by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, 15 hours after Dhankhar announced his resignation. Reacting to it, Gaurav Gogoi, deputy leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, said the Prime Minister's post reflected “the political nature of the resignation.”

"The dignity of a Constitutional post should be maintained both in its role of a presiding officer and in its resignation. PM Modi's tweet has revealed the political nature of the resignation," Gogoi tweeted.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also raised doubts about the health reason given for the resignation. "Our popular vice president resigned citing health concerns, but none of the BJP leaders visited him to enquire about his health... Daal me kuch kala hai," Yadav said