Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned as Vice President Monday and brought the curtain down on a three-year term filled with controversies, and moments when he crossed the ‘laxman rekha‘, that mythical red line.
It was an unexpected resignation, one triggered by a government irritated with the Rajya Sabha Chairperson’s decision to accept an opposition-backed motion – when an identical motion, championed by the ruling BJP, had been presented in the Lok Sabha – to impeach Justice Yashwant Varma.
The fact Mr Dhankhar, who has had several run-ins with the opposition, both as the Veep and, earlier, as the Governor of Bengal, accepted the motion (he must have known about the Lok Sabha notice) was surprising. The fact he did so without informing the BJP has been seen as puzzling.
Either way, the result, after whispered talks between high-ranking members of the government, was a brief ‘I resign’ letter, shared first on X at 9.25 pm, to President Droupadi Murmu.
Government sources told NDTV there were multiple instances of Mr Dhankhar crossing the red line.
Jagdeep Dhankhar And Raghav Chadha
In December 2023 the Rajya Sabha Privileges Committee found the Aam Aadmi Party’s Raghav Chadha – suspended from August 11 for not following House rules – guilty of presenting misleading facts to the media. However, his suspension was ended by Mr Dhankhar, which irked the government.
The motion said Mr Chadha’s 114-day suspension was considered ‘sufficient punishment’ but, before it was passed, Mr Dhankhar told the House the committee found the AAP leader guilty on both counts.
The complaint against Mr Chadha – that he had proposed a Select Committee to consider the contentious Delhi services bill and named four MPs, without consent – had been sent by Mr Dhankhar.
… And Raghav Chadha, Again
Sources also referred NDTV to the issue invovling Mr Chadha’s allotted bungalow, in central Delhi, as a parliamentarian. The AAP leader was given a bungalow a level above his status as a first-time MP.
But when the allottment was cancelled, Mr Chadha refused to vacate and moved the courts, securing a stay from the Delhi High Court. Earlier a trial court had ordered the AAP leader to leave the bungalow.
By appealing the trial court order – which said he did not have an absolute right to continue living in the bungalow – the Rajya Sabha Secretariat had been stopped from evicting the AAP leader.
The matter is still being heard by the court.
… And The Opposition
During his time as the Veep Mr Dhankhar frequently clashed with the opposition; he was accused of being partisan towards the ruling BJP by denying them a chance to speak in Parliament.
In fact, those accusations prompted last year’s no-confidence bid.
Since then, sources said the government has been concerned about a shift in his functioning, one that now allows opposition leaders a greater voice. NDTV was referred to Congress boss Mallikarjun Kharge being allowed to attack the BJP over Operation Sindoor on Monday.
The attack itself would have been dismissed, but Mr Dhankhar allowing it to continue, despite the government having expressed willingness for a formal debate, was not appreciated, sources said.
Sources also said the government was displeased with Mr Dhankhar saying he would take up the issue with the leaders of various parties, including the BJP. That prompted BJP boss JP Nadda to formally contradict the Vice President, not a good fit for the government.
… And Farmers
Sources also said Mr Dhankhar taking on the government over farmers’ protests for a minimum support price – which has rumbled on since August 2020 – was not well received. In December Mr Dhankhar, speaking at a public event, posed searching questions of Agriculture Minister Shivraj Chouhan.
“I request you to please tell me, what was promised to the farmer? Why was the promise not fulfilled? There was a movement last year… there is a movement this year too. The wheel of time is turning…”
Mr Dhankhar, who comes from a farming background, also prodded the government on direct cash subsidy for fertilisers and wanted inflation be considered for financial assistance, like it is for MPs.
… And The Supreme Court
Earlier this month Mr Dhankhar hit out at the judiciary over the Justice Yashwant Varma row.
He called for a criminal investigation to be launched into the recovery of the cash, and, at his Shakespearean best, warned the judiciary to “beware the Ides of March”
