Jagdeep Dhankhar's 10 Sharpest Quotes That Stirred The Opposition
Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned as Vice President of India due to health reasons. His tenure saw controversies and clashes with the Opposition.
Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday resigned from his post as Vice President of India, citing health reasons and medical advice. This comes after he chaired the Rajya Sabha's first Monsoon session.
In his resignation letter, Dhankhar expressed gratitude to President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the Union Cabinet of Ministers. Jagdeep Dhankhar, born on May 18, 1951, in Kithana village, Jhunjhunu district, Rajasthan, has traversed a remarkable path, rising from the Rajasthan Bar Council to become the Vice President of India.
Dhankhar was sworn in as India's Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairperson in August 2022. His tenure began on a controversial note during the Winter Session of Parliament later that year, setting the stage for ongoing controversy surrounding his role as the Upper House's leader.
The relations between Dhankhar and the Opposition hit a low during the Parliament's Winter Session in 2023, when at least 146 MPs were suspended from both Houses during a protest demanding a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the Parliament security breach.
Dhankhar, in his maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha on the first day of the winter session of Parliament on December 7, 2022, said, 'There is no parallel to such a development in democratic history where a duly legitimised constitutional prescription has been judicially undone. A glaring instance of severe compromise of parliamentary sovereignty and disregard of the mandate of the people, of which this house and the Lok Sabha are custodians."
In December 2022, Dhankhar said that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's statement that the government was trying to 'delegitimise the judiciary" was 'severely inappropriate and showed 'lack of faith in democracy."
'The observations are severely inappropriate, indicating a lack of faith in democracy, making this exceptional response unavoidable," he said.
In December 2023, Dhankhar defended the suspension of several Upper House members, citing their 'extreme misconduct" and stating that the action was 'unavoidable." He emphasised that he had taken strong action to protect the 'temple of democracy" from 'sacrilege."
In a letter to NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Dhankhar voiced his anguish over the 'widespread perception of 'politicisation'" of the issue of security breach in Parliament on December 13 instead of the display of 'collective concern" on the incident.
In February 2024, Dhankhar criticised Congress MP Jairam Ramesh for his remarks against RLD chief Jayant Singh, stating that Ramesh's behaviour was unbecoming of a member of the Upper House. The controversy arose after Dhankhar allowed Jayant Singh to speak about his grandfather, former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, being honoured with the Bharat Ratna, prompting protests from Congress members and a heated debate in the House.
In March 2024, Dhankhar seemingly targeted the opposition, stating that individuals who once believed themselves to be above the law are now being held accountable, noting that some people take to the streets when legal action is initiated against them.
His remarks came before a rally by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) protesting the alleged misuse of central agencies by the ruling BJP and the arrest of former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal by the ED in a money laundering case related to the excise policy controversy.
In July 2024, Dhankhar strongly criticised Congress leader P Chidambaram's comments on the new criminal laws, calling them 'highly insulting" to Members of Parliament. During an event at the Indian Institute of Space and Technology, Dhankhar condemned Chidambaram's remarks as 'derogatory, defamatory, and highly insulting" towards lawmakers.
In July, Dhankhar criticised opposition MPs for walking out of the House while PM Narendra Modi was speaking, calling it a 'dangerous precedent." He expressed disappointment, stating that the opposition members had compromised their dignity and insulted the Constitution, rather than showing respect to him. The MPs walked out after Dhankhar initially refused Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, to intervene as Modi spoke.
In June, Mallikarjun Kharge entered the Well of Rajya Sabha during a protest over paper leaks, prompting strong criticism from Jagdeep Dhankhar. Dhankhar condemned the action as unprecedented for someone in Kharge's position and described it as a 'stain" on Parliament.
In July 2024, Dhankhar revealed that he had been an admirer of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for the past 25 years, likening himself to 'Ekalavya," a devoted disciple. He praised the RSS, the ideological parent organisation of the BJP, and expressed regret for not joining it sooner.
In September 2024, Dhankhar seemingly criticised Lok Sabha's LoP, Rahul Gandhi, stating that nothing is more reprehensible than someone in a constitutional position aligning with those who are 'enemies of the nation". This comes after Rahul Gandhi, during his visit to the United States in September, spoke of the condition of politics in India and said 'love, respect and humility" were missing.
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July 21, 2025, 22:38 IST
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