NEW DELHI: Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday raised questions citing "far deeper reasons" over Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar ’s sudden resignation, suggesting that a serious development between 1 PM and 4.30 PM on Monday may have triggered the decision.
Jairam Ramesh’s comments came a day after Dhankhar stepped down, citing health reasons , hours after delivering an address in the Rajya Sabha flagging an impeachment motion against a judge and a incident involving unclaimed cash found in the House.
Ramesh in a post on X, claimed that Dhankhar had chaired the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting of the Rajya Sabha at 12.30 PM on Monday, which was attended by several members, including Leader of the House JP Nadda and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. The committee decided to reconvene at 4.30 PM the same day.
“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,” Ramesh said.
He added, “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.”
Describing Dhankhar’s resignation as “unprecedented,” Ramesh said that while his stated reason of health must be respected, there were “far deeper reasons” behind the decision. He praised Dhankhar for speaking “fearlessly for the welfare of farmers,” criticising what he termed “ahankar” in public life, and for demanding judicial accountability.
“He was a stickler for norms, proprieties, and protocol, which he believed were being consistently disregarded in both his capacities,” Ramesh said, adding, “Shri Jagdeep Dhankar's resignation speaks highly of him. It also speaks poorly of those who had got him elected as Vice President in the first instance.”
Dhankhar's resignation came shortly after he addressed the Rajya Sabha, confirming receipt of a motion seeking the removal of a high court judge. He also disclosed that a bundle of Rs 500 notes was found on a seat in the House, which no one had claimed — an incident he described as "deeply concerning."
Earlier this month, addressing a gathering at Jawahar Lal University Dhankhar said, "I will retire at the right time, August 2027, subject to divine intervention."
His departure has triggered a flurry of political reactions, with senior advocate and MP Kapil Sibal expressing personal sorrow over the development and recalling their longstanding camaraderie.
Responding to Jairam Ramesh’s Monday remarks, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey took to X and said, “In films, Kader Khan used to play such roles — and now the Opposition is living out that character.”
Dubey cited a Reuters report from December, which said, “Indian opposition parties moved on Tuesday to impeach Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, a spokesman said, accusing him of being partisan in his role as chairman of parliament's upper house, in a first such move in the country's history. Dhankhar's office did not respond to a request for comment.”
He added, “They had just moved a proposal to remove him. At the very least, have some concern for the man’s health.”
Jairam Ramesh’s comments came a day after Dhankhar stepped down, citing health reasons , hours after delivering an address in the Rajya Sabha flagging an impeachment motion against a judge and a incident involving unclaimed cash found in the House.
Ramesh in a post on X, claimed that Dhankhar had chaired the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting of the Rajya Sabha at 12.30 PM on Monday, which was attended by several members, including Leader of the House JP Nadda and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. The committee decided to reconvene at 4.30 PM the same day.
Yesterday, Shri Jagdeep Dhankar chaired the Business Advisory Committee of the Rajya Sabha at 12:30 PM. It was attended by most members, including Leader of the House JP Nadda and the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju. After some discussion, the BAC decided to meet…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 22, 2025
“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,” Ramesh said.
He added, “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.”
Describing Dhankhar’s resignation as “unprecedented,” Ramesh said that while his stated reason of health must be respected, there were “far deeper reasons” behind the decision. He praised Dhankhar for speaking “fearlessly for the welfare of farmers,” criticising what he termed “ahankar” in public life, and for demanding judicial accountability.
“He was a stickler for norms, proprieties, and protocol, which he believed were being consistently disregarded in both his capacities,” Ramesh said, adding, “Shri Jagdeep Dhankar's resignation speaks highly of him. It also speaks poorly of those who had got him elected as Vice President in the first instance.”
Dhankhar's resignation came shortly after he addressed the Rajya Sabha, confirming receipt of a motion seeking the removal of a high court judge. He also disclosed that a bundle of Rs 500 notes was found on a seat in the House, which no one had claimed — an incident he described as "deeply concerning."
Earlier this month, addressing a gathering at Jawahar Lal University Dhankhar said, "I will retire at the right time, August 2027, subject to divine intervention."
His departure has triggered a flurry of political reactions, with senior advocate and MP Kapil Sibal expressing personal sorrow over the development and recalling their longstanding camaraderie.
Responding to Jairam Ramesh’s Monday remarks, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey took to X and said, “In films, Kader Khan used to play such roles — and now the Opposition is living out that character.”
Dubey cited a Reuters report from December, which said, “Indian opposition parties moved on Tuesday to impeach Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, a spokesman said, accusing him of being partisan in his role as chairman of parliament's upper house, in a first such move in the country's history. Dhankhar's office did not respond to a request for comment.”
फ़िल्म में कादर खान जी का रोल विपक्ष चरितार्थ कर रहा है
— Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) July 22, 2025
NEW DELHI, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Indian opposition parties moved on Tuesday to impeach Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, a spokesman said, accusing him of being partisan in his role as chairman of parliament's upper house, in a… https://t.co/hyTQbT98HY
He added, “They had just moved a proposal to remove him. At the very least, have some concern for the man’s health.”
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