Jagdeep Dhankhar-government rift behind his shock exit as Vice-President?

Speculation links his resignation to initiating impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma

- VINAY KUMAR

A day after the sudden decision of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar to quit his post abruptly, political circles in the Capital were agog with speculation and multiple theories on Tuesday behind the move, which seems to have caught the government unawares.

There were strong grounds to believe that there was more to the abrupt resignation of the Vice President than "prioritise health care," as he appeared fit and fine during the day when he presided over the proceedings in the Rajya Sabha. He had two more years to go before his scheduled retirement in August 2027. The only acknowledgement from the government came after nearly 15 hours when Prime Minister Narendra Modi put out a brief post, and all the leading government figures refrained from offering any comment.

Modi said on X, "Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar Ji has got many opportunities to serve our country in various capacities, including as the Vice President of India. Wishing him good health."

Dhankhar was not even given an opportunity to address the Rajya Sabha for the last time. The Vice President is also the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. The usual praise and appreciation for him were missing from the BJP-led NDA's ruling alliance, indicating that the government was probably happy to see him go. Incidentally, the only appreciation for him came from the opposition bloc, which had signed a notice last year to impeach him for his alleged biases.

One of the theories doing the rounds in the political corridors was Dhankhar's move to kickstart the impeachment process of former Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma in the Rajya Sabha. Many believe that this could have prompted his sudden resignation on Monday night.