His resignation had not been accepted by President Droupadi Murmu till press time Monday.
In his resignation letter, the lawyer-turned-politician expressed his gratitude to her, the Prime Minister, the union council of ministers and the MPs for the “warmth, trust and affection” he had received during his tenure.
“To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as the Vice President of India, effective immediately, in accordance with Article 67(a) of the Constitution,” Dhankhar wrote in his letter that he also shared on social media site X.
Dhankhar, who turned 74 in May, had undergone a cardiac procedure on March 9. He had been rushed to AIIMS, Delhi, after he complained of chest pain. He was back in Parliament – the budget session was ongoing at the time – after a few days.
Dhankhar had chaired the sessions, albeit with some breaks. Since then, he continued to maintain a demanding public schedule.There was heightened activity in the corridors of Parliament on Monday, but officials did not say if it was connected to Dhankhar’s resignation.Dhankhar took the Treasury Benches by surprise when he mentioned in the Rajya Sabha that he received a notice from the Opposition to constitute a statutory committee for the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma and that it has been signed by more than 50 members of the Upper House.
It was expected that the government would initiate the process first in the Lok Sabha. Soon after, a meeting was held in defence minister Rajnath Singh’s chamber in Parliament. Top union ministers Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar attended the meeting. MPs from the ruling alliance including BJP’s allies then came and signed on a notice.
Reconsider decision: Congress
The Congress party urged Dhankhar to withdraw his resignation and hoped PM Modi would get him to change his mind. The Opposition is expected to seek government clarification on the matter in Parliament Tuesday. “The sudden resignation of the Vice President and chairman of 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,” Congress chief whip in the Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh wrote on his X handle. “No doubt Mr Dhankar 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.
“We wish him the best of health but also request him to reconsider his decision. We also expect the Prime Minister to get Mr Dhankar to change his mind. This will be in the nation’s interest. The farming community particularly will be greatly relieved,” Ramesh said.
