Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar has raised a political storm by abruptly announcing his resignation from the exalted post just below that of the Constitutional head of the nation, the President. The manner in which he announced his exit at fag end of the first day of the Parliament’s monsoon session was unprecedented. The person who chairs the discussions in the Rajya Sabha has suddenly called it quits at the most inappropriate hour. From the way the responses came, somewhat slowly, from Prime Minister Narendra Modi itself gives rise to suspicion that Dhankar had not taken the PM into confidence before he sent his papers to the President. Or, this is part of a larger plot. The absence of Health Minister JP Nadda, the BJP chief, and some others at a meeting that Dhankar called also raised eyebrows.
The reason cited by Dhankar, that he was doing so on advice from his doctor on health grounds sounds odd because just a few days ago, the Vice President had stated that he would complete his full term; a word he did not keep. Obviously, there was some development about which he would not speak out. Dhankar, who has been with the BJP for several years now and led the party’s legal cell for a period in his capacity as a senior Supreme Court lawyer, gained prominence during the term he served as Governor of West Bengal. He kept Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee on tenterhooks all through his presence in Kolkata, in relation to her tantrums against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government. Perceptions were that he kept her under some control by virtue of his eminent understanding of Constitutional law. Banerjee heaved a sigh of relief when he bid goodbye to West Bengal, moved back to Delhi and took charge as Vice President. Dhankar had his way of handling ticklish issues while not crossing the red lines.
It must be noted that in recent times, Dhankar took a highly principled stand after the currency bundles burning incident in a Supreme Court judge’s outhouse. He also courageously criticised members of the judiciary for their questionable stands; something that no other politician ever tried to do. There were attempts to corner Dhankar in this respect, including from politicians. This might or might not have any bearing on his resignation now. It is likely that Dhankar has some plans for the future. Or he might quietly go into retirement. He is already aged 74, but that does not prevent him from aiming high. Age may not be in Dhankar’s favour, but his sense of courage makes him an outstanding leader. Politics today is largely populated by lesser beings who show no courage to call a spade a spade or bell the cat. This being the case, it is imperative that Dhankar must remain vocal and active in public life.
