Unexpected Resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar Raises Questions
Vice President's Sudden Departure
The resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday evening caught many by surprise, prompting Congress MP Jairam Ramesh to suggest that there may be more to the story than what has been disclosed.
Dhankhar attributed his resignation to health issues, coinciding with the commencement of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
In a post on X, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh noted that Dhankhar had arranged a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee for Tuesday afternoon and was anticipated to announce significant developments concerning the judiciary.
Ramesh reiterated his concerns in a follow-up post on Tuesday morning, indicating that there were "far deeper reasons" behind Dhankhar's decision to resign.
On the day of his resignation, Dhankhar had presided over a meeting of the Rajya Sabha's Business Advisory Committee at 12:30 PM, attended by key members including Leader of the House JP Nadda and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.
According to Ramesh, the committee had planned to reconvene at 4:30 PM, but when the meeting resumed, both Nadda and Rijiju were notably absent.
Ramesh expressed that Dhankhar was not informed about their absence, which he found objectionable.
The meeting was rescheduled for 1 PM on Tuesday, with Ramesh stating, "Something significant must have occurred between 1 PM and 4:30 PM to explain the deliberate absence of Nadda and Rijiju from the second BAC meeting yesterday."
Yesterday, Shri Jagdeep Dhankar chaired the Business Advisory Committee of the Rajya Sabha at 12:30 PM. It was attended by most members, including Leader of the House JP Nadda and the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju. After some discussion, the BAC decided to meet…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 22, 2025
Dhankhar took office as vice president on August 11, 2022, with his term set to conclude in 2027. As vice president, he also served as the chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, the upper chamber of Parliament.
In his resignation letter to President Droupadi Murmu, Dhankhar indicated that he was resigning effective immediately.
Following his resignation, several opposition leaders questioned the timing of his departure.
Samajwadi Party MP Javed Ali Khan remarked that Dhankhar appeared to be in good health during his time in the House, stating, "Today, it did not seem like there was a health issue," as reported by a news outlet.
Similarly, Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Sudhakar Singh echoed this sentiment, noting that Dhankhar looked healthy while overseeing the proceedings. He suggested that the resignation might be indicative of political turmoil within the Bharatiya Janata Party and the government.
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, however, refrained from speculating on the reasons behind the resignation, acknowledging Dhankhar's proactive role as a chairperson.
#WATCH | Delhi: On Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's resignation, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal says, "I am not going to speculate reasons as to why he has resigned. He has said that it is because of health reasons. So I don't want to speculate. I can say that he was one of the most… pic.twitter.com/ss1jbEyxdR
— News Media (@ANI) July 21, 2025
Historically, the opposition has had multiple disagreements with Dhankhar, particularly regarding his role as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
In December, the opposition coalition submitted a no-confidence motion against Dhankhar, accusing him of biased conduct in the Upper House.
In their notice, they claimed that Dhankhar had positioned himself as a spokesperson for the government's policies and conducted proceedings in a biased manner.
Concerns were also raised about his interruptions of opposition members during discussions, with allegations of him making disparaging remarks about opposition MPs publicly.