NEW DELHI: The Congress party on Tuesday questioned Jagdeep Dhankhar's sudden resignation from the Vice President post, saying the reasons are "far deeper" than the health concerns he mentioned in his letter to President Droupadi Murmu.
The grand old party also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's brief message on social media, calling it a "non-post" that only adds to the mystery surrounding the abrupt decision.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in his post on X, "PM's non-post on X regarding Shri Jagdeep Dhankar’s forced resignation has only added to the mystery of his abrupt exit. Surely the PM could have been a bit more gracious — he is, after all, the supreme master of hypocrisy."
He added, "The kisanputra is being denied even a dignified farewell."
Prime Minister Modi had earlier posted on X: "Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar Ji has got many opportunities to serve our country in various capacities, including as the Vice President of India. Wishing him good health."
The Congress also urged the government to come forward with a full explanation for the resignation.
Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha expressed surprise, saying Dhankhar appeared cheerful while presiding over the House just a day earlier. “While presiding over Rajya Sabha yesterday he was his good jolly self!! Did the way he proactively handled the 2 impeachment motions (Justice Yadav & Verma) yesterday the last straw!!” he posted on X.
Later, speaking to reporters, Tankha added, "It's very unexpected. It shouldn't have happened the way it has happened. There is an issue because he is healthy. He was in a jovial mood. However, something happened in the afternoon. Ministers didn't appear for his meeting. He might have felt insulted."
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal also said the government must explain why the vice president suddenly stepped down.
Jairam Ramesh further explained that Dhankhar chaired the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the Rajya Sabha at 12:30 PM on Monday, which was attended by several members, including Union ministers J P Nadda and Kiren Rijiju.
However, when the BAC reassembled at 4:30 PM under Dhankhar’s chairmanship, both Nadda and Rijiju were absent. “It waited for Shri Nadda and Shri Rijiju to arrive. They never came. Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar 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 posted.
"So something very serious happened yesterday between 1pm and 4:30pm to account for the deliberate absence of Nadda and Rijiju from the second BAC," he added.
Ramesh said Dhankhar’s decision to resign was unprecedented. "Now in a truly unprecedented move, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar has resigned. He has given health reasons for doing so. Those should be respected. But it is also a fact that there are far deeper reasons for his resignation."
He also praised Dhankhar for standing up on key issues. "While always lauding the post-2014 India, he spoke fearlessly for the welfare of farmers, forcefully against what he called ‘ahankar (arrogance)’ in public life, and strongly on judicial accountability and restraint," Ramesh said.
"To the extent possible under the current G2 ruling regime, he tried to accommodate the Opposition. He was a stickler for norms, proprieties, and protocol, which he believed were being consistently disregarded in both his capacities," he added.
"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," Ramesh said.
The Congress had earlier appealed to Prime Minister Modi to convince Dhankhar to reconsider. "We wish him the best of health but also request him to reconsider his decision. We also expect the Prime Minister to get Mr Dhankhar to change his mind. This will be in the nation’s interest," Ramesh said.
He added that farmers in particular would be relieved if Dhankhar decided to stay on.
Dhankhar, 74, took office as vice president in August 2022 and had over two years remaining in his term. He submitted his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu on Monday evening, citing health reasons and stepping down with immediate effect.
Ramesh, who was with him earlier in the day, said in a post on Monday night, "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."
"No doubt Mr Dhankhar has to give topmost priority to his health. But clearly there is far more to his totally unexpected resignation than meets the eye," he said, while adding that this was not the time for speculation.
He also revealed that Dhankhar had called for a BAC meeting at 1 PM on Tuesday and was expected to make major announcements related to the judiciary.
The grand old party also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's brief message on social media, calling it a "non-post" that only adds to the mystery surrounding the abrupt decision.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in his post on X, "PM's non-post on X regarding Shri Jagdeep Dhankar’s forced resignation has only added to the mystery of his abrupt exit. Surely the PM could have been a bit more gracious — he is, after all, the supreme master of hypocrisy."
The PM's non-post on X regarding Shri Jagdeep Dhankar's forced resignation has only added to the mystery of his abrupt exit. Surely the PM could have been a bit more gracious--he is, after all, the supreme master of hypocrisy. The kisanputra is being denied even a dignified…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 22, 2025
He added, "The kisanputra is being denied even a dignified farewell."
Prime Minister Modi had earlier posted on X: "Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar Ji has got many opportunities to serve our country in various capacities, including as the Vice President of India. Wishing him good health."
Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar Ji has got many opportunities to serve our country in various capacities, including as the Vice President of India. Wishing him good health.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 22, 2025
श्री जगदीप धनखड़ जी को भारत के उपराष्ट्रपति सहित कई भूमिकाओं में देश की सेवा करने का अवसर मिला है। मैं उनके उत्तम…
The Congress also urged the government to come forward with a full explanation for the resignation.
Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha expressed surprise, saying Dhankhar appeared cheerful while presiding over the House just a day earlier. “While presiding over Rajya Sabha yesterday he was his good jolly self!! Did the way he proactively handled the 2 impeachment motions (Justice Yadav & Verma) yesterday the last straw!!” he posted on X.
Later, speaking to reporters, Tankha added, "It's very unexpected. It shouldn't have happened the way it has happened. There is an issue because he is healthy. He was in a jovial mood. However, something happened in the afternoon. Ministers didn't appear for his meeting. He might have felt insulted."
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal also said the government must explain why the vice president suddenly stepped down.
Jairam Ramesh further explained that Dhankhar chaired the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the Rajya Sabha at 12:30 PM on Monday, which was attended by several members, including Union ministers J P Nadda and Kiren Rijiju.
However, when the BAC reassembled at 4:30 PM under Dhankhar’s chairmanship, both Nadda and Rijiju were absent. “It waited for Shri Nadda and Shri Rijiju to arrive. They never came. Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar 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 posted.
"So something very serious happened yesterday between 1pm and 4:30pm to account for the deliberate absence of Nadda and Rijiju from the second BAC," he added.
Ramesh said Dhankhar’s decision to resign was unprecedented. "Now in a truly unprecedented move, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar has resigned. He has given health reasons for doing so. Those should be respected. But it is also a fact that there are far deeper reasons for his resignation."
He also praised Dhankhar for standing up on key issues. "While always lauding the post-2014 India, he spoke fearlessly for the welfare of farmers, forcefully against what he called ‘ahankar (arrogance)’ in public life, and strongly on judicial accountability and restraint," Ramesh said.
"To the extent possible under the current G2 ruling regime, he tried to accommodate the Opposition. He was a stickler for norms, proprieties, and protocol, which he believed were being consistently disregarded in both his capacities," he added.
"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," Ramesh said.
The Congress had earlier appealed to Prime Minister Modi to convince Dhankhar to reconsider. "We wish him the best of health but also request him to reconsider his decision. We also expect the Prime Minister to get Mr Dhankhar to change his mind. This will be in the nation’s interest," Ramesh said.
He added that farmers in particular would be relieved if Dhankhar decided to stay on.
Dhankhar, 74, took office as vice president in August 2022 and had over two years remaining in his term. He submitted his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu on Monday evening, citing health reasons and stepping down with immediate effect.
Ramesh, who was with him earlier in the day, said in a post on Monday night, "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."
"No doubt Mr Dhankhar has to give topmost priority to his health. But clearly there is far more to his totally unexpected resignation than meets the eye," he said, while adding that this was not the time for speculation.
He also revealed that Dhankhar had called for a BAC meeting at 1 PM on Tuesday and was expected to make major announcements related to the judiciary.
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