Dhankhar's Exit: A Cautionary Tale of Political Ambitions

The fact that he has not been given a farewell, and that none in the BJP visited him to inquire after his health, suggests that the government was no longer in a mood to tolerate him

- KAPIL SIBAL

Those who live by the sword, die by the sword. The journey of Jagdeep Dhankhar, former Vice President of India, in some sense, reflects the nature of contemporary politics.

Dhankhar has been a temporary resident of many political parties. He initially joined the Janata Dal and was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Jhunjhunu constituency in 1989. He soon joined the Congress, contesting the 1991 general elections from Ajmer. He lost. However, he succeeded in getting elected to the Rajasthan Assembly. In 2008, he joined the BJP. Opportunism in politics provides a springboard to success. Here, he found his peace.

We call ourselves a democratic Republic, but neither democracy nor the fundamental tenets of Republicanism are reflected in today's politics. There was a fleeting semblance of that years ago, but today, it is completely effaced.

Dhankhar was catapulted to the office of Governor in West Bengal. There, he acted as the spokesperson of the BJP. He left no stone unturned to tarnish the TMC's reputation, and worked at the behest of the Union government to destabilise Mamata Banerjee's regime. The BJP's initial agenda seemed to gain traction, but Mamata came up trumps. The BJP has been seeking a foothold in several states, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. But for their sizeable presence in Karnataka, they found themselves forlorn in several southern states. Dhankhar, having demonstrated both his mettle and loyalty, the Modi-Shah duo found him to be a convenient accessory to their agendas. He turned out to be more loyal than many votaries of the BJP. This catapulted him to the office of Vice President. The 'kisan putra' eventually found himself chairing the Rajya Sabha.