Dhankar quits as V-P, stuns nation

New Delhi: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar stunned the nation on Monday evening resigned from his post citing medical reasons. The timing of his resignation however led to feverish speculation with the Opposition Congress party expressing surprise, saying it is totally unexpected and 'there is far more to it than meets the eye.'

Dhankar, in his letter to President Droupadi Murmu, said he was stepping down with immediate effect, add ing,'' "To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as Vice President of India."

Seventy four-year-old Dhankhar had assumed office in August 2022 and his tenure was till 2027. He is also the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and his resignation came on the first day of the Monsoon session of Parliament. He had recently underwent angioplasty at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi.

"The sudden resignation of the vice president and chairman of the Rajya Sabha is as shocking as it is inexplicable. I was with him alongside a number of other MPs till around 5 pm today and had spoken to him over the phone at 7:30 pm," Congress general secretary Jai ram Ramesh said.

"No doubt Mr Dhankar has to give top most priority to his health. But clearly there is far more to his totally unexpect ed resignation than meets the eye. This is not the time for speculation though. Mr Dhankar took both the government and the opposition to task in equal measure. He had fixed a meeting of the Business Advisory Commit tee tomorrow at 1 PM.

He was also to make some major announcements related to the judiciary tomorrow," Ramesh said in a post on X. "We wish him the best of health but also request him to reconsider his decision. We also expect the prime minister to get Mr Dhankar to change his mind. This will be in the nation's interest. The farming community particularly will be greatly relieved," Ramesh also said.

Dhankhar is the third Vice President to resign while in office, after V V Giri resigned from his post on July 20, 1969 to contest the presidential elections as an independent and Bhairon Singh Shekha wat. (Agencies)