'Everything seemed normal until evening, not even a hint'; Ambiguity looms over VP Dhankar's resignation

NEW DELHI: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's unexpected resignation, citing medical reasons, sparked huge speculation among ruling party leaders and the opposition. Just hours before announcing his resignation, Dhankar talked with senior political leaders but never gave any clue that he would step down immediately.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh revealed that he spoke with Dhankar on the phone two hours before the news of his resignation. Both Dhankar and Ramesh are known for often engaging in verbal battles in the upper house.

Jairam Ramesh had a meeting with Dhankar at around 5 pm on Monday, along with Pramod Tiwari and Akhilesh Prasad Singh. Dhankar spoke about the Business Advisory Council meeting scheduled for 10 am on Tuesday. Everything looked normal. Akhilesh Prasad Singh said that Dhankar seemed healthy and showed no signs of quitting.

Dhankar had earlier addressed the House on the notice received from 63 opposition MPs seeking the impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma. The resolution, which was moved with the support of over 100 MPs from various parties, was the key issue on Monday in the upper house. He also discussed the formation of a joint committee to take further action.

However, it seems like significant developments were taking place behind the scenes. It is indicated that the dispute with the central government over the acceptance of the notice of the motion to impeach Justice Yashwant Varma in the Rajya Sabha led to his resignation. Moreover, Dhankar had also earned the displeasure of the administration for criticising the government during the wrestlers' and farmers' protests. There is also a suspicion that Dhankar's resignation was to put pressure on the government.