- People closely following the political occurrences in the country would have felt jolted by the sudden resignation of the Vice President, Jagdeep Dhankhar, on the very first day of the Rajya Sabha’s monsoon session of Parliament. As you are aware, Dhankhar has been hitting the headlines frequently in the last few months, courtesy of his not-so-veiled diatribes against the higher judiciary. Also, his role as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha was often marred by the opposition training their guns on toeing the line of the ruling dispensation. Before assuming the office of the Vice Presidency, Dhankhar had an eventful tenure as the governor of West Bengal, where he often clashed with the ruling Trinamool Congress on several occasions/matters.
PC: The Quint
- The tussle between West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Governor Dhankhar often hit headlines when both appeared to be not in sync on several matters of governance. As such, given his office, the way Dhankhar quit left much to be desired, no matter what provoked the precipitous decision. Some would say his resignation on the first day of Rajya Sabha’s monsoon session was in keeping with Dhankhar’s penchant for controversy that marked his three-year tenure. But that’s not the point here. His abrupt exit was not in keeping with the unwritten but well-understood demands of a constitutional office. Delhi’s power corridors and the media will continue speculating for a few days at least what made the V-P quit so suddenly.
PC: The Impressive Times
- Further, what will be forgotten is the principle – given the office he held, Dhankhar shouldn’t have preferred drama over decorum. His many rhetorical jibes against the higher judiciary’s conduct make his own unprepossessing manner of departure rather ironic. This critique stands, whatever Dhankhar’s real reason was, justifiably, complete cross-party and cross-commentariat consensus that his health wasn’t the push factor. Mind you, the one important job V-Ps have is presiding over RS. It’s always a crucial remit in Parliament, but more so when politics is so fractious. Dhankhar, it would be more than fair to say, didn’t always come across as an even-tempered and even-handed presiding officer. Nor did he always observe the rhetorical temperance expected of him.
PC: CMI Times
- Even then, it doesn’t take much to know that resigning right at the beginning of a parliamentary session that will decide on a matter as grave as an impeachment of an HC judge is simply not on. The larger point is that we no longer naturally assume that constitutional office holders will maintain the dignity of their office. Dhankhar’s is perhaps among the more eye-catching examples. But sadly, it is, by no means, the only one. The NDA candidate will be the new V-P. Whoever it is, he/she must set a very high bar given the atmosphere prevalent in the parliament. Parliament will function better if the opposition feels less frustrated. Providing a level-playing field for the treasury and the opposition benches should be the first non-partisan act of the new incumbent V-P.
