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Jagdeep Dhankhar made ‘unscheduled visit’ to Rashtrapati Bhavan before shock resignation: Report
Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned as Vice President, citing health concerns. His resignation sparked speculation amid a tumultuous Rajya Sabha session.
Former vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar made an “unscheduled visit” to the Rashtrapati Bhavan late on Monday evening, shortly before his surprise resignation, news agency PTI reported, citing official sources.
Jagdeep Dhankhar met President Murmu around 9pm on Monday and handed over his resignation to her. Half an hour later, he made his resignation letter public on X, the sources adde4d.
"To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as Vice President of India, effective immediately, in accordance with Article 67(a) of the Constitution," Dhankhar said in his letter.
Dhankhar, 74, assumed office in August 2022, and his term would have ended in August 2027.
The resignation of the vice president, who was also the ex officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha, came on the first day of the Monsoon session of Parliament.
The Congress has claimed that the reasons behind his resignation as the vice president are "far deeper" than the health issues cited by him.
Dhankhar's decision to resign as vice president has triggered a firestorm of speculation on whether there was more to it than "to prioritise health care", as his sudden move had capped a day of events in Rajya Sabha on his watch, which took the government by surprise and put it in damage-control mode.
The usual effusive praise that is showered on an occupant of a high office on his departure was missing from the ruling alliance's side, an indication that the government was probably happy to see him go, PTI reported.
It was the Opposition, which had signed a notice to impeach him last year for his alleged biases, that had nice words for him.
On Tuesday, theories surrounding Dhankhar’s exit swirled around Delhi’s political circles, gathering momentum from the government’s delayed response to his resignation -- the Prime Minister’s message came at 12.13pm, 15 hours and 18 minutes after the resignation was posted at 9.25pm by the Vice President’s X handle -- as well as the promptness with which Rashtrapati Bhavan accepted the resignation, which was duly noted in the Gazette at 1.11pm.
The die was cast last week when Dhankhar, according to people familiar with the matter, asked some Opposition leaders to give a notice for the impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma in the Rajya Sabha, even as the government wanted to bring the notice only in the Lok Sabha.
The former Delhi high court judge faces removal after an undisclosed amount of money was found at his residence in March.
Accordingly, a senior Congress lawmaker who is also a lawyer, hurriedly prepared an impeachment notice on Sunday; all 63 MPs who signed it on Monday were from the Opposition parties. Not a single NDA MP signed the Opposition-sponsored notice in the Rajya Sabha.
The reason: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had no idea that such a notice was being prepared.
Dhankhar himself came to the House after the first Business Advisory Committee meeting on Monday and announced, “I need to inform you that I have received notice of motion under Article 217(1)(B) read with Article 218 and Article 124…to constitute a statutory committee for removal of justice Yashwant Varma. This has been received by me today. It is signed by more than 50 members of the Council of States.”
The notice derailed the government’s meticulous plan to remove justice Varma.
