On the evening of July 21, at exactly 9:25 p.m., Jagdeep Dhankhar took to his official account on “X” to announce that he had resigned from his position as Vice President of India, citing health issues.
The unforeseen declaration triggered an avalanche of speculation through the political landscape about the circumstances surrounding his sudden departure.
Throughout the day, Dhankhar had been engaged in the parliamentary proceedings, attending the opening session of the Monsoon Session without a hint of his impending resignation. While Dhankhar’s health had been a matter of concern for some time, no one could have anticipated that it would end his tenure abruptly.
The revelation that health issues were merely a pretext became glaringly evident when the Government broke its silence almost 15 hours after Dhankhar’s announcement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded at 12:30 p.m. on July 22 with a brief and somewhat curt message on “X.”
The stark contrast between the late-night resignation and the Prime Minister’s cold, measured response left little room for interpretation. It was clear that this was no ordinary resignation; the significant time gap suggested tensions beneath the surface and hinted that the departure was anything but routine. The post of the Vice President in the Indian political system is mainly ceremonial.
It lacks substantial power, but Dhankhar had never shied away from displaying his proximity to the ruling dispensation.
So much so that, as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the Opposition had often accused him of partiality by stifling their voices.
Ironically, the very Opposition that had once criticised Dhankhar for silencing their voices in the Upper House suddenly united to defend him. But the Government wasted no time in dumping him, leaving Dhankhar to navigate the storm alone.
The Government has yet to issue any formal statement regarding the unexpected exit of Vice President Dhankhar. But reports attributed to various sources suggest that Dhankhar had been overstepping boundaries on multiple occasions.
The situation escalated dramatically when he openly supported an impeachment motion backed by Opposition parties against Justice Yashwant Varma, who is currently embroiled in a cash scandal, as well as against Justice Shekhar Yadav, accused of communal misconduct.
Notably, it is reported that no members from the ruling party endorsed this motion, which could have led to significant embarrassment for the Modi administration had it gained traction.
Dhankhar had taken to the public stage on numerous occasions to voice his strong opposition to what he perceives as judicial overreach, consistently championing the supremacy of Parliament.
In the past, his impassioned speeches and critiques had been interpreted as having the backing of the Government. It now appears that this assumption may have been misguided, raising questions about the proper relationship between his rhetoric and the actual Government position.
When the Modi Government assumed power for the first time in 2014, it entered into a complex and often uneasy relationship with the then Vice President, Hamid Ansari. During his farewell speech in 2017, Modi took pot-shots at Ansari, particularly highlighting his perceived favouritism towards Gulf countries.
In this region, Ansari had spent a significant portion of his diplomatic career. Despite these tensions and public jabs, their relationship did not deteriorate to the point where Ansari was compelled to resign early.
But in Dhankhar’s case, this is the first time in the country’s history that an incumbent Vice President has chosen to step down mid-term, citing health concerns.
(The writer is the Resident Editor of The Pioneer)