Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigns on Day 1 of Monsoon Session
Congress says ... there could be more to it than the health reasons
Serving as Vice President since 2022, the 74-year-old made the surprise announcement on Monday, July 21, after chairing the first day of the Monsoon Session in Rajya Sabha.
Under Article 67 of the Constitution, which deals with the term of office of the Vice President, Dhankhar will continue to hold office until his successor is elected.
By tendering his resignation, Jagdeep Dhankhar became the seventh Vice President to step down before completing the full five-year term.
"To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as the Vice President of India, effective immediately, in accordance with Article 67(a) of the Constitution," Dhankhar stated in a letter released by the Vice President's office.
Thanking the President, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dhankhar further wrote: "I extend my deepest gratitude to Your Excellency - the Hon'ble President of India for her unwavering support and the soothing wonderful working relationship we maintained during my tenure.
I express my deep gratitude to the Hon'ble Prime Minister and the esteemed Council of Ministers. Prime Minister's cooperation and support have been invaluable, and I have learned much during my time in office."
While chairing the Upper House today, Jagdeep Dhankhar said he had received a letter signed by more than 50 Rajya Sabha members requesting the constitution of a committee for the removal of Justice Varma.
Dhankhar, then, directed the Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha "to find out whether a similar motion has been moved in the Lok Sabha."
"This is being done in accordance with the procedure. If the motion is presented in both houses on different days, the motion presented first is alone taken into consideration. If it's on the same day, provisions are different," Dhankhar had said today.
Interestingly, Dhankhar, while mentioning the Justice Yashwant Varma impeachment case, said that one of the 55 signatures had been duplicated, ordering an inquiry.
In recent times, Dhankhar has been vocal in his criticism of the judiciary, asserting that "Parliament is supreme."
The outgoing Vice President had criticised the Supreme Court for setting a timeline for the President and Governor to sign bills passed by state governments, saying, "So, we have judges who will legislate, who will perform executive functions, who will act as a super Parliament and have absolutely no accountability because the law of the land does not apply to them."
Dhankhar said as he leaves the esteemed office, he is “filled with pride in Bharat's global rise and phenomenal achievements and hold unwavering confidence in her brilliant future.”
The Constitution does not specify who performs the duties of the Vice President of India when a vacancy occurs in the office before the expiry of term, or when the Vice President acts as the President of India.
The only constitutional provision related to this situation concerns the Vice-President’s role as the chairperson of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States). In such cases, the deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, or another member authorised by the President of India, assumes this responsibility during the vacancy.
The Congress party expressed surprise at the sudden resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, saying it is "totally unexpected" and there is far more to it than meets the eye.
"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 Jairam Ramesh said.
"No doubt Mr Dhankar has to give topmost priority to his health. But clearly there is far more to his totally unexpected 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 Committee tomorrow at 1 PM. He was also to make some major announcements related to the judiciary tomorrow," Ramesh said in a post on X.
Former Minister Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal hailed him as a patriot and said since he had cited health reasons for his decision, it should be accepted and one should move forward.
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