When Jagdeep Dhankhar’s ‘unscheduled’ visit caught Rashtrapati Bhavan staff off guard

On Monday evening, just before announcing his surprise resignation, former vice president Jagdeep Dhankar made an ‘unscheduled’ visit to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The staff at the President’s Secretariat were completely caught off-guard as they were not prepared to deal with such a situation.

 

The visit caused a flutter, and the Aide-de-Camp (ADC) had to rush to the military secretary to inform him about Dhankhar’s presence, reported Times of India.

 

Dhankhar met President Droupadi Murmu around 9 pm and handed over his resignation to her. Half an hour later, he made his resignation letter public on X.

 

"To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as Vice President of India, effective immediately, in accordance with Article 67(a) of the Constitution," Dhankhar said in his letter.

 

According to reports, Dhankhar’s unannounced visit to the Rashtrapati Bhavan was another indication of a sudden trigger for him to step down.

Dhankhar, 74, assumed office in August 2022 and his term would have ended in August 2027.

 

The vice president’s shock resignation has created a political uproar with the opposition Congress alleging that it was "forced" and the reasons are "far deeper" than the health issues.

 

Interestingly, barring Prime Minister Modi, who put out a brief post, most of the leading government figures refrained from offering any comment on Dhankhar’s exit.

 

"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,” said Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh.

India