Former vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar stepped down as Vice President in July last year after just three years in office, catching everyone off guard on the opening day of Parliament’s monsoon session. In his letter to President Droupadi Murmu, he cited the reason as the need to focus on health and follow doctor’s orders, but that explanation didn’t convince many.
‘When I said I was resigning, I never said I was ill’: Former V-P Dhankhar
Speaking at a small event in Churu, Rajasthan recently, Dhankhar spoke about the importance of good health. He said that people often say the greatest blessing in life is a healthy body, and he has always taken his health seriously, reported The Indian Express.
He clarified that when he announced his resignation, he did not say he was unwell. Instead, he explained that he was choosing to step down because he wanted to give priority to his health, which he believes everyone should do.
“Kehte hain pehla sukh nirogi kaaya. Maine swasthya ke prati kabhi laparwahi nahi barti. Maine jab kaha ki main pad tyag raha hun, toh maine kabhi ye nahi kaha ke main beemar hun. Maine kaha main swashtya ko ahmiyat de raha hun, aur deni chahiye. (It is said that the first happiness is a healthy body. I have never neglected my health. When I said I was resigning, I never said I was ill. I said I was prioritising my health, as it should be).”
The controversy over Dhankhar’s resignation
The timing of Dhankhar’s resignation fueled endless talks from the Opposition – why quit so suddenly when he’d recently said he’d serve till 2027 unless something divine intervened? Whispers pointed to tensions with the government, especially after he accepted an opposition impeachment notice against a judge in a cash scandal case, which reportedly clashed with the Centre’s own plans on judicial corruption. Opposition figures like Jairam Ramesh hinted at deeper issues, while some saw it as a fallout from his outspoken style in the Rajya Sabha. The whole episode left political circles buzzing with questions about what really pushed him out.
In August last year, Rahul Gandhi had particularly raised questions about Dhankhar’s silence after his sudden resignation. He had suggested that there was more to the resignation than what was known publicly. According to him, there was a larger story behind Dhankhar stepping down and another reason why he had stayed out of the public eye. He also pointed out that Dhankhar, who was once very vocal in the Rajya Sabha, had suddenly become completely quiet.
In Churu, Dhankhar attended a programme hosted by former Congress MP Ram Singh Kaswan. Also present were Kaswan’s son, Churu MP Rahul Kaswan of the Congress, and Olympian and former Congress MLA Krishna Poonia.
The former Vice President said he came to Churu mainly because he was worried about Ram Singh’s health. He added that whenever he himself has faced health issues, Ram Singh has been among the first people to reach out and check on him.