Jagdeep Dhankhar / I wish you good health, PM said on Dhankhar's resignation

Jagdeep Dhankhar: The political atmosphere of the country has heated up after Jagdeep Dhankhar suddenly resigned from the post of Vice President on Monday. Dhankhar left his post with immediate effect citing health reasons. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave his first reaction on the issue on Tuesday. He wrote on the social media platform X, "Jagdeep Dhankhar has had the opportunity to serve the country in many roles, including the Vice President of India. I wish him good health."

Left the post with immediate effect

Late on Monday evening, Dhankhar submitted his resignation to President Draupadi Murmu. In his letter, he wrote, "In order to give priority to health care and follow medical advice, I am resigning from the post of Vice President with immediate effect, in accordance with Article 67 (A) of the Constitution." The President accepted his resignation and it was sent to the Home Ministry for further action. According to sources, the Home Ministry may soon issue a gazette notification for the post of Vice President.

Tenure was till 2027

74-year-old Jagdeep Dhankhar took over as Vice President in August 2022, and his term was till 2027. However, his resignation came on the first day of the current monsoon session of Parliament. Dhankhar recently underwent angioplasty at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, and was also hospitalized for a few days in March this year.

On Tuesday, the morning proceedings of the Rajya Sabha were chaired by Deputy Chairman Harivansh, as the Vice President is the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Normally Dhankhar used to preside at the beginning of the proceedings of the House.

Opposition raised questions

Dhankhar's sudden resignation has given the opposition an opportunity to raise questions. The Congress has targeted the government over this. Congress General Secretary (Communication In-charge) Jairam Ramesh said, "Jagdeep Dhankhar chaired the Business Advisory Committee of Rajya Sabha at 12.30 pm yesterday. Then between 1 pm and 4.30 pm something big happened that Union Ministers JP Nadda and Kiren Rijiju did not reach the Business Advisory Committee meeting. Dhankhar was very conscious about norms, decorum and rules, and he believed that these rules were being constantly disregarded during his tenure."

The opposition says that Dhankhar's resignation raises questions not only about him but also about the intentions of those who brought him to this position. However, there has been no official response from the government to these questions of the opposition yet. What is the further process? After Dhankhar's resignation, the process of new appointment for the post of Vice President is expected to start soon. According to the Constitution, the Vice President is elected by the members of both the Houses of Parliament. After the gazette notification of the Home Ministry, rapid steps can be taken in this direction.