Dhankhar Resignation: India’s Political Rift Explained
VP Dhankhar’s Defiance Triggers Crisis,Culminating in Resignation
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New Delhi: A dramatic political standoff between Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and the Narendra Modi government reached a breaking point,culminating in Dhankhar’s unexpected resignation. The crisis, simmering for months over perceived slights and policy disagreements, erupted when Dhankhar signaled his intent to formally accept an Opposition-led motion in the House, a move the government vehemently opposed.
The Breaking Point: Opposition Motion and Government’s Plea
By Monday morning,it was evident that Vice President Dhankhar had met with a senior Congress leader and was prepared to formally accept signatures collected by Opposition leaders to announce a motion in the House that very day.This decision directly challenged the government’s agenda, which had been established through consensus.
During this critical period, the government made three distinct attempts to influence the Vice President’s decision. The first outreach involved Union Minister JP Nadda and Kiren Rijiju meeting with Dhankhar. Later, Rijiju and Arjun Meghwal met with him. In the final attempt, Meghwal met Dhankhar alone, conveying the government’s expectation of being taken into confidence and emphasizing the importance of including signatures from ruling party MPs, given the consensus-driven agenda.
However, Vice President Dhankhar remained resolute, offering no assurances to the government and clearly indicating his intention to read out the list of Opposition MPs in the House. despite repeated requests from the Narendra Modi government, Dhankhar’s unwavering stance widened the cracks in his relationship with the Center.
Underlying Tensions: A Pattern of Discontent
Sources indicate that the clash between the government and Vice President Dhankhar was not an isolated incident but stemmed from deeper, underlying reasons that had surfaced periodically.
One notable instance occurred ahead of US Vice President JD Vance’s visit. Dhankhar reportedly asserted his prerogative to hold the main and high-level meeting with Vance,stating,”I too am a Vice President and his counterpart.” This assertion was met with a call from a senior Cabinet minister, who clarified that while Vance was the US Vice President, he was carrying a message from the US President specifically for Prime Minister Modi.Further fueling the tension, sources claim Dhankhar had previously requested his photograph be displayed alongside those of the Prime Minister and the President in ministers’ offices. Additionally, he had allegedly pressed multiple times for all vehicles in his fleet to be upgraded to Mercedes-Benz cars.
Escalation and Resignation
The signs of an impending crisis became increasingly apparent. Dhankhar’s meeting with the same senior Congress leader again on Monday afternoon underscored his commitment to the Opposition’s cause. Concurrently, Dhankhar had also assured the Opposition, in his personal capacity, that he would address the impeachment case of Justice shekhar Yadav separately.
In a move that surprised many, and before any direct action could be taken by the government, Dhankhar proceeded to Rashtrapati Bhavan without prior notice.He waited for approximately 25 minutes before submitting his resignation to the President.
Following his resignation, Dhankhar reportedly harbored hopes until the following morning that the government might intervene to persuade him to withdraw, or that his resignation might not be accepted. However, these hopes were dashed as the government had already made its decision: dhankhar had to go.
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, reportedly huddled with his top aides, including the Home Minister, following Dhankhar’s abrupt decision to accept the Opposition’s motion without the NDA government’s approval. PM Modi is said to have expressed deep disappointment over the Vice President’s conduct, notably given that Dhankhar was the NDA’s candidate for the post in 2022.
Published By: Sayan Ganguly
Published On:* Jul 23, 2025