Jagdeep Dhankhar overstepped his limit, govt lost confidence: Chidambaram

Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member P Chidambaram said Jagdeep Dhankhar had to step down from the Vice President post because he “overstepped his limit”. Jagdeep Dhankhar’s mid-term resignation has been the talk of the political circles. Although Dhankhar stated that he stepped down due to health and medical reasons, speculations are rife about the “real” reason behind his exit. 

Speaking to India Today, Chidambaram said Dhankhar had to step down because he confronted the government by admitting the motion against Justice Yashwant Varma, leading to a breakdown in the relationship. 

"Once the government lost confidence in Mr Dhankhar, he had to go," Chidambaram said, adding that the Rajya Sabha’s brief and formal announcement of Dhankhar’s resignation was proof that there’s no mutual respect left between the two sides. He also said that there was no farewell, an indication that he had fallen out of favour.

“The Deputy Chairman made a brief and formal announcement in the Rajya Sabha about a vacancy in the post of Vice President, saying a schedule would be announced later.  This means the government has bid goodbye to Mr Dhankar without fuss or fanfare or a farewell, which means the trust, the link between the two has completely broken down,” Chidambaram added. 

Chidambaram also spoke of the rising tension between the judiciary and the executive, noting that Dhankhar had taken a confrontational stance on judicial matters for over a year. Dhankhar, aged 74, took office in August 2022 and was expected to serve until 2027.

The Congress leader stated that the Modi government supports individuals only as long as they align with its views, withdrawing support once they deviate. He said, "We know the character of the Modi government. They will befriend anyone as long as that person toes their line. But once he steps out of line, they will withdraw their support. I am not saying that is exactly what happened in Mr Dhankhar's case. But something must have happened."

The Congress leader also referred to a Business Advisory Committee meeting where BJP leaders J P Nadda and Kiren Rijiju attended the session at 12:30 pm but skipped the reconvened meeting, which others perceived as a boycott. Chidambaram said Dhankhar seemed upset by this and ended the meeting. He questioned, "What happened between 12:30 and 4:30?"

When asked if the opposition was changing its stance on the former Vice President, Chidambaram denied any change. He said the opposition had lost confidence in Dhankhar months ago and had not requested him to continue.