- Amit Shah has dismissed opposition's claims of former vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar being under house arrest
- Mr Shah said the interpretation of truth and lies should not rely solely on opposition statements
- Mr Dhankhar resigned on July 21, stating he wanted "to prioritise health care and abide by medical advice"
Amid growing speculation over former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's resignation, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said Mr Dhankhar resigned due to health issues and dismissed the opposition's claims that he was under "house arrest".
In an interview with ANI, the Union Home Minister said, "Dhankhar sahab's resignation letter is clear in itself. He has cited health reasons for his resignation. He has also expressed heartfelt gratitude towards the Prime Minister and other ministers and government members for his good tenure."
When asked about Mr Dhankhar being under "house arrest", as claimed by certain opposition leaders, Mr Shah said the interpretation of truth and lies should not rely solely on opposition statements and warned against making a fuss over the former vice president's resignation.
"It seems like your interpretation of truth and lies is based on what the opposition has to say. We shouldn't make a fuss out of all this. Dhankhar held a constitutional post and discharged his duties as per the constitution. He resigned due to personal health reasons. One should not deliberate much on the issue," Mr Shah said.
The remarks come after opposition leaders raised questions about the sudden resignation, claiming Mr Dhankhar had been "silenced" by the government. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said it was the first time in the country's history that a Vice President's resignation was accompanied by what he described as silencing.
Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, also criticised the Centre, questioning Mr Dhankhar's whereabouts and accusing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of taking the country back to "medieval times."
"We are going back to medieval times when the king could just remove anybody at will. There's no concept of what an elected person is. He doesn't like your face, so he tells ED to put a case, and then a democratically elected person is wiped out within 30 days. Also, let's not forget why we are electing a new Vice President. Just yesterday, I was having a conversation with somebody, and I said, you know, where is the old vice president gone? He's gone," Mr Gandhi said in a press conference on August 20.
Supreme Court advocate and senior leader Kapil Sibal also raised the question of whether a habeas corpus petition should be filed, given Mr Dhankhar's absence from public view.
However, the BJP has maintained that Mr Dhankhar resigned due to health reasons and dismissed suggestions of any differences with him.
Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament on July 21, stating that he wanted "to prioritise health care and abide by medical advice."
At the time, he was serving as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and had submitted his resignation letter to President Droupadi Murmu.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
