The unexpected resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has triggered a political storm, with the Opposition alleging hidden reasons behind his early exit and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) defending it as a decision taken due to his personal health. Jagdeep Dhankar. (PTI)

Dhankhar tendered his resignation on Monday, nearly two years before the end of his tenure, citing “health” concerns. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced his resignation on Tuesday through a Gazette notification.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leaders conveyed their best wishes for Dhankhar’s health, the Congress termed it a “Soviet-style resignation” and claimed the move was driven by “very serious” underlying causes.

Congress president and leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge avoided making direct political remarks, saying, “Only he knows the reason. We have nothing to say on this. Either the government knows or he knows. It is up to the government to accept his resignation or not.”

Congress MP and deputy leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, said the resignation cast a shadow over the Modi government. “The resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar was sudden and unfortunate. It raises serious questions about the state of affairs within the Modi government,” he remarked.

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh linked Dhankhar’s resignation to recent events in Parliament, particularly the absence of two senior ministers from an important meeting. “Yesterday, Shri Jagdeep Dhankar chaired the Business Advisory Committee of the Rajya Sabha at 12:30 PM. It was attended by most members, including the Leader of the House JP Nadda and the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Kiren Rijiju. After some discussion, the BAC decided to meet again at 4:30 PM. The BAC reassembled under the chairmanship of Shri Jagdeep Dhankar. It waited for Shri Nadda and Shri Rijiju to arrive. They never came. Shri Jagdeep Dhankar was not personally informed that the two senior Ministers were not attending. Rightly, he took umbrage and rescheduled the BAC for today at 1 PM. So something very serious happened yesterday between 1 PM and 4:30 PM to account for the deliberate absence of Shri Nadda and Shri Rijiju from the second BAC yesterday,” Ramesh wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Countering the claim, Union health minister JP Nadda said proper intimation had been given to Dhankhar’s office. “Kiren Rijiju and I did not attend the meeting called by the Vice President at 4.30 pm because we were occupied with other important parliamentary work. The Vice President’s Office was intimated about our inability to attend the meeting,” he told reporters after attending a meeting convened by defence minister Rajnath Singh.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, while speaking to reporters in Kolkata, said: “The media cannot decide the reason behind Mr Dhankhar’s resignation. I have no comments. Let us watch, He is a healthy man, I think his health is absolutely okay.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant suggested the resignation wasn’t due to ill health alone. “The Vice President’s health has not deteriorated so much that he has to resign. Someone has made his health worse. The ruling party is silent. It suggests something is wrong,” he told reporters outside Parliament.

DMK MP TR Baalu claimed Dhankhar resigned “because of pressure.”

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said the circumstances of Dhankhar’s resignation were unprecedented. “This is for the first time a Vice President has resigned in such a manner. Unfortunately, his health did not allow him to work further… Hopefully, the next Vice President will do justice to the post and the office,” he said.

The BJP rejected the Opposition’s allegations. Union minister Anupriya Patel acknowledged the resignation was “shocking and surprising,” but attributed it to health concerns. “The resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar is shocking and surprising. He presided over the House yesterday. However, the reasons cited for his resignation seem to be true because there were instances in the past when he had health complications. We wish for his better health,” she stated.

BJP MP Ravi Kishan accused the Opposition of hypocrisy. “It is the same Opposition that mimicked the Vice President; today it is rallying behind him,” he remarked.