Jat khaps rally behind Dhankhar, but ‘mentor' Devi Lal's clan divided over shock resignation

The Print

3 days ago

Abhay Singh Chautala, Devi Lal's grandson and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) national president, has termed Dhankhar's resignation as a 'conspiracy' as he had questioned the Centre for not fulfilling its assurances to farmers.
It, thus, comes as no surprise that Dhankhar has found sympathy from Devi Lal's clan as well as various Jat khap panchayats in Haryana following his abrupt resignation —after he presided over the first day of the monsoon session in the Rajya Sabha—Monday night on health grounds.
Gurugram: In March, then vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar, a Jat from Rajasthan, sang paeans about the late Chaudhary Devi Lal as his mentor. His ascendancy, according to the lawyer-turned-politician, was after the former deputy prime minister advised him to drop the 'p' from 'pleader' and adopt leadership—a turning point that defined his political journey.
In December last year, the former vice-president asked Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Chouhan about what happened to the government's promises made to them earlier. Chouhan had spoken before him at the event in Mumbai.
Dhankhar, the INLD chief alleged, was 'made to resign' by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Abhay Singh Chautala went live on X on Tuesday, attributing Dhankhar's resignation to his 'interrogation' at the Mumbai event commemorating the Centenary Foundation Day of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology.
जिसने खेत में हल चलाया हो वो जब संसद में सवाल करता है तो कुर्सियाँ काँप ही जाती हैं। एक किसान का बेटा जब देश के उच्चतम संवैधानिक पद पर बैठकर सरकार से पूछता है 'किसानों से जो वादे किए थे उन्हें निभाया क्यों नहीं' तो जवाब की जगह इस्तीफे की साजिश रच दी जाती है…
इस किसान विरोधी… pic.twitter.com/4jBEcJC7fJ
— Abhay Singh Chautala (@AbhaySChautala) July 22, 2025
There was a conspiracy by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government to remove Dhankhar because of his farmer-friendly approach, Chautala told The Print Thursday.
'The BJP cannot accept an individual who speaks of farmers and their welfare. Dhankhar ji, who learned politics from Chaudhary Devi Lal, only speaks of the welfare of farmers. He has not resigned voluntarily but has been made to resign by the Modi-Shah leadership,' Chautala alleged.
Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) leader Dushyant Chautala, a great-grandson of Devi Lal, termed the resignation as a huge loss for the nation and Haryana.
In his brief interaction Wednesday with the media, he dismissed the health-related reason behind Dhankhar's resignation. The actual reasons for resignation would come to light soon, he said.
Dushyant had served as the deputy chief minister from 2019 to 2024 when the JJP was part of the BJP-led coalition government in Haryana. The BJP went on to sever its ties with the JJP in March, 2024.
Dushyant's father Ajay Singh Chautala recalled his stint as an MLA with Dhankhar in the Rajasthan Assembly between 1993 and 1998. While he was elected from Nohar, Dhankhar represented Kishangarh in the House.
'We do have a familial relationship as well,' Ajay told ThePrint, underscoring the political and personal relationship.
Dismissing the 'health narrative', he said even people with 'normal political comprehension' could perceive the reasons for the exit. Dhankhar's departure has disillusioned the people of Haryana, who, he said, identified the veteran as their Jat representative on a high constitutional office.
Unlike his family members, Devi Lal's younger son Ranjit Singh presented a nuanced view about the circumstances leading to Dhankhar's resignation.
Singh, who contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Hisar on a BJP ticket before running as an Independent in the state polls, argued that Dhankhar should have exercised greater caution in his role as vice-president.
Criticising the government over its policies for farmers, calling a meeting of former MLAs of all parties in Jaipur last month, and regular meetings with Opposition leaders, were not becoming of a vice president, which is a ceremonial position, Singh told The Print.
The holders of high posts such as the President, the Vice President, or the Chief Justice of India usually keep a certain distance from all, something that Dhankhar did not do, he said.
The support for the septuagenarian among Jat Khap representatives like Yudhbir Singh Dhankhar, the president of Dhankhar Khap, and Tek Ram Kandela, the head of Kandela Khap, in Haryana is palpable.
Yudhbir accused the BJP of orchestrating Dhankhar's exit as part of a 'political game'. 'This party (BJP) is very alienated from this community,' he added, warning that the resignation's consequences would be felt in the future.
'For us, he (Dhankhar) is a Goti Bhai (a brother of the same gotra). His resignation has sparked indignation among all khaps and members of the Jat community. When he was elevated to the post of V-P, he should have been allowed to continue for his full term. The manner in which social media is buzzing with news like the sealing of his office, all this not going down well with the community,' Yudhbir said.
Elevated as the vice-president in August 2022, Dhankhar's term was due to end in August 2027.
Tek Ram, meanwhile, said that health was just an excuse and not the real reason for the high-profile resignation.
Many other Jat leaders echoed this sentiment, noting that Dhankhar's active participation in parliamentary proceedings and his planned programs for the next two days contradicted claims of ill health.
The Jat community's reaction is interesting given its complex history with Dhankhar. In December 2023, not many Jat and Khap leaders rallied behind him when opposition MPs mimicked him in Parliament. Back then, Dhankhar construed it as an insult to his community. His alignment with the BJP policies during the 2020-21 farmers' protests had also distanced him from the community.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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