Relation between centre, Vice President not like before: Gaurav Gogoi on Dhankar's resignation

Labelling Dhankar's resignation as "sudden and unfortunate", Gogoi said that the Vice President presided over Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meetings on Monday. He expressed that the relationship between Dhankar and the central government might have taken a hit given that a Union Minister was also not present in the BAC meeting, which was scheduled for yesterday afternoon.

"The resignation of the Vice President is sudden and unfortunate, because of the way he was presiding in the meetings yesterday. Today, he also had a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) in the Rajya Sabha. From our side, we wish him good health, but it seems that the relationship between the Central Government and the Vice President is not the same as it was before. Because even the Union Minister was not present in yesterday's BAC meeting. So far, there has been no statement from Prime Minister Modi," Gogoi told ANI.

"We also seek clarification from the central government whether they had prior information that the Vice President was going to resign due to his health, and if they did not have the information, then why this kind of dilemma? We want to know this," he added.

Earlier in the day, Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel expressed doubts over the "health reasons" cited by Jagdeep Dhankar for his resignation as Vice President of India, saying it was an indication of "an impending political storm".

"Yesterday, I was also there, and he was also present in the meeting. He was fine and in good health... In the second meeting, Union Minister JP Nadda did not attend, and subsequently, a resignation occurred, so it is not related to health issues. It is a serious matter that the VP resigned during the ongoing session. This is an indication of impending (political) storm," Baghel told reporters here.

Earlier, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh claimed that there was more to Dhankar's "unexpected" resignation as Vice President than meets the eye.

"The sudden resignation of the Vice President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is as shocking as it is unimaginable. Until around 5 PM this evening, I was with him, along with several other MPs, and at 7:30 PM, I had a phone conversation with him. Undoubtedly, Jagdeep Dhankhar should prioritise his health above all else. However, it is also clear that there is more to his completely unexpected resignation than meets the eye. Nevertheless, this is not the time for speculation," the Congress leader posted on X.

Highlighting his importance for the farming community, Ramesh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must persuade Dhankar to change his mind. He added that the Vice President's resignation comes ahead of him making a crucial announcement related to the judiciary.

"Jagdeep Dhankhar has taken both the government and the opposition to task equally. He had called a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee yesterday at 1 PM and was about to make some important announcements related to the judiciary," the Congress leader said.

Meanwhile, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey took a jibe at the opposition for expressing shock over Dhankar's resignation, implying that the opposition was being dramatic.

"Opposition is playing the role of Kader Khan in the film," Dubey posted on X while citing a news report from December last year where the opposition parties moved to impeach Dhankar from the Vice President's office and accused him of being "partisan".

Dhankhar, who is also Chairman of Rajya Sabha, sent his resignation letter to President Droupadi Murmu.

"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," the letter read.

This development comes after sources informed that a committee is expected to be constituted to further investigate the allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma, following the notices given by MPs in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for his removal. Justice Verma was indicted by an in-house inquiry committee after semi-burnt wads of cash were found in his residence following a fire incident. (ANI)