Timing & motive: Opposition sees more than illness in Jagdeep Dhankhar's sudden resignation, alleges deeper political rift

Time of India

4 days ago

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's abrupt resignation on the first day of the Monsoon Session on Monday has sent significant ripples through India's Parliamentary system and drawn a flurry of political responses, particularly from the country's singlest largest Opposition party - the Congress.
While Dhankhar cited health reasons in his letter to President Droupadi Murmu, several Opposition leaders took to social media platform X to raise questions about the true motivations behind his exit—pointing to possible political undercurrents and deepening institutional tensions.
Explore courses from Top Institutes in
Select a Course Category
Product Management
Data Science
Healthcare
Digital Marketing
others
PGDM
Public Policy
Operations Management
Technology
MBA
Degree
Project Management
Cybersecurity
Data Analytics
MCA
Others
Management
Artificial Intelligence
Data Science
Design Thinking
healthcare
Leadership
Finance
CXO
Skills you'll gain:
Product Strategy & Roadmapping
User-Centric Product Design
Agile Product Development
Market Analysis & Product Launch
Duration:
24 Weeks
Indian School of Business
Professional Certificate in Product Management
Starts on
Jun 26, 2024
Get Details
Skills you'll gain:
Creating Effective Product Roadmap
User Research & Translating it to Product Design
Key Metrics via Product Analytics
Hand-On Projects Using Cutting Edge Tools
Duration:
12 Weeks
Indian School of Business
ISB Product Management
Starts on
May 14, 2024
Get Details
Skills you'll gain:
Product Strategy & Competitive Advantage Tactics
Product Development Processes & Market Orientations
Product Analytics & Data-Driven Decision Making
Agile Development, Design Thinking, & Product Leadership
Duration:
40 Weeks
IIM Kozhikode
Professional Certificate in Product Management
Starts on
Jun 26, 2024
Get Details
Congress and allies: Political ill-health, not physical
Among the first to react and respond was Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh. While, he commended Dhankar's commitment to procedural propriety, he also noted "there are far deeper reasons" for the move.
— Jairam_Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh)
Congress MP Mallu Ravi expressed doubts over the official explanation, calling the resignation an outcome of 'political ill-health.' He speculated that Dhankhar's exit may be linked to the BJP's strategy ahead of the Bihar elections. 'Perhaps the BJP government wanted to appoint someone more useful in the current political landscape,' he said.
Live Events
"Now in a truly unprecedented move, Shri Jagdeep Dhankar has resigned. He has given health reasons for doing so. Those should be respected. But it is also a fact that there are far deeper reasons for his resignation," he wrote in his X post.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Udit Raj also hinted at political motives behind the timing, especially in light of the anticipated discussions in the Monsoon Session of the Parliament.
"There are several important issues like the Operation Sindoor matter and the voter list in Bihar... Jagdeep Dhankhar's presence is essential for all these matters. I also find it a bit strange. Was this done to avoid these issues? I am not questioning Dhankhar ji's health, but still, we will not let go of these issues and will continue to raise questions... I wish for Jagdeep Dhankhar's good health," the Congress leader wrote.
Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha, on the other hand, questioned if Dhankhar's assertive handling of impeachment motions against Justices Yadav and Verma could have led to pressure from within the ruling establishment.
"Vice President VP Dhankhar's resignation quite unexpected !! While presiding over Rajya Sabha yesterday he was his good jolly self !! Did the way he pro actively handle the 2 impeachment motions ( Justice Yadav & Verma ) yesterday the last straw," Tankha said in a separate X post.
Congress MP Imraan Masood echoed disbelief, stating: 'He was in Parliament the entire day. What happened in just one hour that he had to resign?'
In another scathing attack on the BJP, Gaurav Pandhi, Secretary of the AICC suggested Dhankhar's loyalty to the Prime Minister over the Constitution led to his downfall. 'He walked in like a Modi Megaphone and slipped out like he was on a WhatsApp chat. Just left the chat—or forced to?' he wrote.
Wider Opposition: Disbelief, doubt, & defiance
But Congress is not alone in voicing its shock over the VP's decision to exit mid-term.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi pushed back against portrayals of Dhankhar as impartial. 'Let's not forget that the Opposition had to move a no-confidence motion against the Chair for his partisan conduct,' she reminded.
— priyankac19 (@priyankac19)
Additionally, JMM MP Mahua Maji called the resignation 'shocking,' stating that Dhankhar had shown no signs of stepping down and had delivered a full day of proceedings.
"This is very shocking news, especially for the opposition parties... Today in the House, we didn't feel that he was going to resign today itself... He also said many other important things... Some people are unable to digest this matter. There are speculations that there may be another reason behind it... We all want him to reconsider this decision," Majhi said.
Mixed emotions: Well-wishes & wariness
While criticism of the circumstances surrounding Dhankhar's resignation dominated the Opposition's responses, many leaders also conveyed good wishes for his health.
Congress veteran P. Chidambaram joined others in expressing hope for Dhankhar's full recovery.
Samajwadi Party MP Javed Ali Khan also took a less offensive stance and said, 'Virtue! Even if a resignation is taken, it is only said to have been given. By the way, I wish for the complete recovery of Mr. Dhankhar.'
A day of sudden developments
Jairam Ramesh, in his second post on the matter, outlined the timeline of the day that ended with the unprecedented move.
He wrote that on July 21, just hours before his resignation, Dhankhar chaired two meetings of the Rajya Sabha's Business Advisory Committee (BAC). The first, at 12:30 PM, included top leaders such as Leader of the House JP Nadda and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.
A follow-up meeting scheduled for 4:30 PM, however, saw both senior ministers absent—reportedly without informing the Vice President.
Economic Times WhatsApp channel
)