Congress MP in the Rajya Sabha and head of communications In response to Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s resignation, Jairam Ramesh stated that although the action is commendable, there might be much more significant causes.
Vice President Dhankhar resigned, citing health issues, but the Congress party declared Tuesday morning that “there are indeed deeper and more serious reasons behind his decision.”
“His resignation commands great respect,” Ramesh said, but he also said that it is a bad reflection on the people who elected him as vice president in the first place.
Ramesh disclosed in a social media post on X that Dhankhar presided over the Rajya Sabha’s Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting on Monday at 12:30 PM. Several important members were there, including Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Leader of the House JP Nadda.
The next BAC meeting was set for 4:30 PM that same day after a quick discussion. However, Ramesh pointed out that neither Nadda nor Rijiju was present when the members reconvened at 4:30 PM on Dhankhar’s direction.
Ramesh wrote, “They never came.” It was not personally communicated to Mr. Jagdeep Dhankhar, who was not personally informed that the two senior ministers would be absent. He rescheduled the BAC meeting for 1 PM the following day, understandably upset.
The Congress leader emphasised that Nadda and Rijiju purposefully missed the second BAC meeting because of something important that must have happened between 1 PM and 4:30 PM on Monday.
“Mr. Ramesh wrote that Jagdeep Dhankhar stepped down in a move never seen before. He gave health-related justifications, which is admirable. But it’s also true that this step has deeper, more concerning motivations.
Ramesh continued, praising Dhankhar’s behaviour:
He freely criticised what he called “arrogance” in public life, spoke up bravely for farmers’ welfare, continuously hailed post-2014 India, and fervently supported judicial restraint and accountability. He made sincere attempts to make accommodations for the opposition as much as possible under the current G2 ruling regime. He steadfastly upheld conventions, decency, and protocol—values he believed were frequently compromised throughout his time in both positions. Jagdeep Dhankhar