Dhankhar’s exit fraught with irony and intrigue

VICE-President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s abrupt resignation has thrown the political establishment into a swirl of speculation. Citing “health reasons” in his letter to President Droupadi Murmu, Dhankhar exited mid-term, ending a turbulent tenure marked by frequent sparring with the Opposition and provocative assertions on constitutional propriety. The official reason, however, finds few takers. What lends the episode a layer of irony is the Opposition’s reversal of roles. Just months ago, parties like the Congress were demanding his impeachment, accusing him of undermining constitutional values. Today, they are defending his dignity, claiming his exit hints at “far deeper reasons” and suggesting he was nudged out by his own party. The BJP’s silence only fuels this narrative.

Dhankhar’s tenure was anything but restrained. He took combative positions, often unsettling both Parliament and the judiciary. In 2022, he questioned the doctrine of basic structure, calling it “incompatible with parliamentary sovereignty.” This remark that drew sharp criticism from legal experts and constitutional scholars alike. In another instance, he accused the judiciary of acting like a “super-legislature”, alleging that it was rewriting the Constitution from the Bench. Such statements were viewed by many as breaches of constitutional decorum. Yet, Dhankhar remained unapologetic, defending the executive’s dominance and taking pride in his role as a political voice in Parliament. His critics saw him as blurring the line between constitutional neutrality and party loyalty.

His resignation came just after acknowledging a motion seeking the removal of a high court judge, further fuelling theories of internal friction and institutional unease. Was he sidelined for overstepping boundaries or was he sacrificed for speaking inconvenient truths? Whatever the trigger, Dhankhar’s exit revives concerns about the autonomy of high offices. As the nation awaits his successor, it must also ask: are our institutions resilient enough to withstand politics from within?

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