
Bihar poll strategy or snub? Theories float on Jagdeep Dhankhar's shock exit
There was also radio silence from BJP ministers, with no congratulatory messages for the leader, dubbed "Kisan putra" and "inspiring" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself. It was only after 15 hours that PM Modi tweeted.It is true that Dhankhar was treated for cardiac problems earlier this year, but his hush-hush resignation after an eventful first day of the Parliament monsoon session has sent rumour mills into overdrive.He could have just put in his papers before the start of the session, an opposition leader said. Moreover, a press release by the Vice President's Secretariat at 4 pm on Monday of his scheduled travel to Jaipur later this week has added to the puzzle.EYE ON BIHAR ELECTIONSOne theory that is floating around is of Dhankhar making way for Nitish Kumar to be the next Vice President ahead of the Bihar elections. With the BJP eyeing a larger share of the Bihar seat pie this time, making Nitish the Vice President could be a strategy to keep him in good spirits.On Tuesday, BJP MLA Haribhushan Thakur added grist to the rumour mill. "It will be very good for Bihar is Nitish Kumar is made the Vice President," Thakur told reporters.For the BJP, a lot is riding on the elections in Bihar, where the saffron party has never held power alone.On Tuesday, Dhankhar skipped chairing the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha. As per the rules, in the absence of the chairperson, Rajya Sabha proceedings are held under the chairmanship of the deputy chairperson.JD(U)'s Harivansh Narayan Singh has been serving in the post since 2020. With Harivansh now set to chair proceedings for the remainder of the session till elections are conducted, the optics of a Bihar leader calling the shots in the Upper House augurs well for the NDA ahead of the polls.
Jagdeep Dhankhar with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar earlier this year (PTI)
INSULT BEHIND JAGDEEP DHANKHAR'S EXIT?Another theory that has been reported widely is the chain of events on the first day of the Monsoon session.On Monday, Dhankhar announced that he received a notice signed by 68 opposition MPs seeking the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma, from whose house a large cash stash was recovered, and that he was admitting the same.The Vice President's supposed haste in acting on the opposition's notice, at a time when the government was moving a motion sponsored by it in the Lok Sabha, left a bad taste, denying the NDA bragging rights.What lent an inch of credibility to the government's displeasure was JP Nadda, Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, and Kiren Rijiju, Parliamentary Affairs Minister, skipping a meeting called by Dhankhar later in the day.The meeting was a crucial one of the Rajya Sabha's Business Advisory Committee (BAC). It recommends the allocation of time for debates and legislative business. Nadda, however, said the ministers were occupied with important work and had informed the Rajya Sabha chairperson beforehand.The Congress also pointed to a remark by Nadda earlier in the day that it called an "insult" to the Vice President."Nothing will go on record, only what I say will go on record," Nadda was heard saying while pointing towards Dhankhar amid opposition uproar in the Rajya Sabha over Operation Sindoor. Nadda, however, said his remarks were directed at the opposition MPs.advertisementFREQUENT TUSSLE WITH JUDICIARYAnother theory is that Dhankhar's my way or highway approach, especially regarding his sharp remarks on the judiciary, irked some in the government.Ever since he became the Vice President in 2022, Dhankhar has not minced words while criticising "judicial overreach" and also condemned the Supreme Court for scrapping the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act.The remarks were viewed as those reflecting the stand of the government, making it open to receiving brickbats.- EndsMust Watch

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indian Express
29 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Raghav Chadha shows up barefoot at Kapil Sharma's show, says his shoes were stolen; reveals wife Parineeti Chopra manifests he ‘will never become PM'
Parineeti Chopra and Raghav Chadha are all set to grace The Great Indian Kapil Show as guests in the upcoming episode. In a part of a leaked promo going viral on social media, the couple was talking about their first meeting in London, their relationship, and cracking hilarious jokes with host Kapil Sharma and his team. In fact, Raghav, who is a member of Rajya Sabha, joked about his wife and actor Parineeti's manifestation powers. The politician shared that he makes her say that he will never become the Prime Minister of India, so that the opposite happens. In one of the clips, Raghav Chadha and Parineeti Chopra were seen entering the stage hand-in-hand, but Kapil instantly asks about Raghav's bare feet. The comedian asks jokingly if Raghav had manifested that he would come barefoot on the show after getting married to Parineeti. Raghav then reveals that his shoes were stolen, after which Krushna Abhishek and Kiku Sharda walk in on the stage with his shoes and demand money in return from their 'jiju'. ALSO READ | 'I feel like I am talking to some… 'Sir'': Parineeti Chopra on husband Raghav Chadha's formal texts, craving digital detox, and her secret obsession with home organisation A post shared by Kapil Sharma show Funny videos ❤️ (@ In the promo video, Parineeti recalled their first meeting in London. The actor revealed that out of curiosity, she googled 'Raghav Chadha height' right after they met. Giving a banger reply, Raghav said, 'Yeh jo bolti hai, uska ulta ho jaata hai. Isne kaha, 'I'll never ever marry a politician,' aur politician se shaadi ho gayi. Ab main roz subah isse uthake bolta hoon, 'Tu bol Raghav Chadha will never ever become the Prime Minister of India (Whatever she says, the opposite happens. She once said, 'I'll never ever marry a politician,' and then ended up marrying one. Now every morning, I wake her up and say, 'You say it—Raghav Chadha will never ever become the Prime Minister of India').' A post shared by Kapil Sharma show Funny videos ❤️ (@ Earlier, there were reports suggesting that the duo had to cut the shoot short and it was halted midway because Raghav's mother fell ill. She was immediately rushed to the hospital and Raghav-Parineeti will reschedule and re-shoot the episode. Parineeti Chopra and Raghav Chadha got married in an intimate ceremony at The Leela Palace in Udaipur, Rajasthan, in 2023. Their wedding was attended by friends, family, and many prominent figures from the worlds of Bollywood and politics. On the work front, Parineeti was last seen in Imtiaz Ali's Amar Singh Chamkila, opposite Diljit Dosanjh. She will next star in an untitled Netflix web series produced by Siddharth P Malhotra and Sapna Malhotra, and directed by Rensil D'Silva.


Indian Express
29 minutes ago
- Indian Express
West Bengal govt trying to ‘legitimise Rohingya Muslims, illegal Bangladeshi immigrants': Suvendu Adhikari writes to Election Commission
West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari Monday expressed concerns over an alleged increase in voter registration applications and the issuance of domicile certificates in the border districts, claiming that this is an attempt by the state administration to legitimise 'infiltrating Rohingya Muslims and illegal Bangladeshi immigrants'. Sharing a copy of a letter he wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on July 26, the BJP leader wrote on X, 'A disturbing trend has emerged in West Bengal's border districts. Over 70,000 Form-6 applications have been submitted on average in the last week, a sharp rise from the usual 20,000-25,000, especially in Coochbehar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Maldah, North Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, and North & South 24 Parganas districts.' Form-6 is used for registering as a new voter for the first time. He said this surge, coupled with reports of domicile certificates being issued, raises concerns about the government's 'unethical and illegal efforts' to facilitate the 'legitimising of the infiltrating Rohingya Muslims and illegal Bangladeshi immigrants' to manipulate voter lists. Adhikari has urged the CEC not to accept any domicile certificates issued after July 25, during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, if such an activity is conducted in West Bengal. He said this step is crucial to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process'. The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday started training booth-level officers (BLOs) in West Bengal, amid speculations that the SIR of electoral rolls, similar to the one being held in neighbouring poll-bound Bihar, will be held in the state, too. Adhikari alleged in his letter that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's offfice has issued directives to the district magistrates (DMs) and subdivisional magistrates (SDMs) of North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad, Birbhum, Malda, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, and Coochbehar districts for hte issuance of a large number of domicile certificates in these border districts with Bangladesh. 'The integrity of our Democracy must be protected and can't be allowed to get diluted for vested interests of Vote Bank Politics. The District Election Officers must remember that they are entrusted with the responsibility of conducting free and fair elections, and their allegiance is with the country and protecting the interests of the country,' he wrote. Earlier, on Saturday, Saturday Adhikari said the Bengal BJP would take to the streets from August 17 demanding a 'Rohingya-free Bengal' in a bid to counter Trinamool's 'Bangla-Bangali' narrative in the run-up to next year's Assembly elections. 'Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee gifted this homeland to Bengali Hindus, and we will protect it,' Adhikari said. Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More


New Indian Express
29 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
'Why do you assume that they came from Pakistan': Chidambaram's remark on Pahalgam attackers stirs row
A political row has erupted ahead of the high-stakes parliamentary debate on 'Operation Sindoor', India's military response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. The controversy was sparked by remarks from former finance minister and senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram, who, in an interview with The Quint, questioned the narrative that the attackers came from Pakistan. 'There is no evidence so far that the killers were Pakistani,' Chidambaram said, suggesting that "homegrown terrorists" could have been involved. He also slammed the government's handling of the investigation, asking why the attackers had not yet been apprehended or identified. His comments triggered a sharp backlash from the BJP, with the party accusing Congress of undermining national security. 'Once again, the Congress rushes to give a clean chit to Pakistan, this time after the Pahalgam terror attack,' BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya posted on X, sharing a clip from the interview. He further added, 'When it comes to national security, there should be no ambiguity. But with the Congress, there never is – they always bend over backwards to protect the enemy.'