Jagdeep Dhankhar "Took Himself Very Seriously": Behind The Rift

When Jagdeep Dhankhar became Vice President in 2022, he was seen as a staunch supporter of the Modi government, as a loud, loyal, shrewd politician-cum-administrator who could take on the Opposition and the judiciary. He had already built that image as West Bengal Governor, regularly locking horns with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. His elevation to the Vice Presidency seemed like a reward for that assertiveness. But less than three years later, his sudden resignation has raised eyebrows. Officially, it's due to health concerns. Unofficially, it suggests a deeper unease, possibly even a breakdown of trust between him and the government he once so vocally defended.

What Went Wrong?

Sources told NDTV that the distance between Dhankhar and the government had widened significantly over the past year. The tipping point came when he refused to align with the government's stand on the impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma. Just days before the Monsoon Session, ministers met Dhankhar multiple times, urging him not to go ahead with the Opposition-backed motion against Varma, informing him very clearly that Lok Sabha will initiate it and he must instead focus on putting the matter of the impeachment of Justice Shekhar Yadav of the Allahabad High Court to end.

"We wanted him to wait. We were readying signatures. Judicial accountability was something the BJP has pushed for. How can the Opposition take credit for it? But he (Dhankhar) seemed to have made up his mind - likely under the influence of a senior Congress leader he had committed to," a source said.

It was, as another source put it, "a rare combination of an attempt at judicial activism and ego that came from holding constitutional power". Dhankhar wanted privileges on par with the President - from the type of luxury car and aircraft he used to staff appointments - and insisted on having the final say. "He knew the workarounds, but he failed to realise that the autonomy of the office is tethered to the political power behind it," the source added.

Tensions reached a peak on Monday morning in the Rajya Sabha. When Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge rose to question the government on the Pahalgam terror attack, Dhankhar allowed him to speak at length - cutting off BJP leader of the House and minister JP Nadda with a mere hand gesture. "Protocol demanded that Nadda be allowed to respond. Even he, usually calm, was visibly angry," a BJP MP said.

Senior ministers - Arjun Ram Meghwal, Kiren Rijiju and JP Nadda - met Dhankhar at least three times in the week leading up to the session. Each time, they urged him to wait, to let ruling party MPs be part of the motion against Justice Varma, and to allow time for a consensus. But the Vice President did not budge. On Monday, he met Opposition leaders, accepted the signatures, and made clear he would read out the motion in the House.

"That's when the ruling coalition started mobilising an impeachment motion against Dhankhar himself," a source said. "It was meant to pressurise him. Senior ministers were consulted, and most agreed there was no other option." A BJP MP noted, "There was an impeachment against Justice Varma, and there was another resolution quietly being signed. Everyone knew what it was really about."

Later that evening, Dhankhar made an unannounced visit to Rashtrapati Bhavan - a last-ditch hope, some believe, that the government might intervene. But he was made to wait over 30 minutes, and nothing came of it. The next day, the Prime Minister posted a brief, terse tweet acknowledging his resignation - and that was that.

Observers say Dhankhar had initially done exactly what was expected of him - questioned the judiciary's Basic Structure doctrine, voiced views on sensitive issues like population control and religious conversion and appeared to act more as a political ally than a neutral constitutional figure. But in December 2024, the Opposition moved a no-confidence motion against him - the first ever against a Rajya Sabha Chairman - accusing him of repeatedly silencing their voices and denying interventions. Though it was ultimately rejected, insiders say the episode changed him significantly. That's when he began leaning towards Opposition leaders, caste and community groups, bar councils, and even legal circles, meeting them in private, and often being critical of the government in those meetings.

His insistence on protocol - such as meeting visiting US Vice President JD Vance one-on-one, citing parity between VPs - further irked the establishment. "He took himself very seriously. It was futile trying to explain that the Vice President of the US is an entirely different political creature but we still did it," said a source.

The Big Picture

Dhankhar's resignation underlines a larger truth for the Modi government: it prefers trusted individuals in top constitutional roles but only as long as they stay predictable. For the BJP, this wasn't about Dhankhar asserting his independence, it was about a risk to stability. The party has never hesitated to rein in loose cannons - whether by removing chief ministers, denying tickets to MPs, or publicly disciplining ministers. But Dhankhar wasn't a backbencher or an attention seeker to be told off. He was an accomplished lawyer, a seasoned politician with friends across party lines - handpicked by the BJP for the job.

"That made it difficult," a senior BJP leader admitted. "But in this system, rules are the same for everyone. Party discipline comes above all."

The larger debate may well be about shrinking space for constitutional autonomy. But political parties often demand loyalty and those picked for such roles are expected to stay in line, not grow into them. Dhankhar may have overestimated how much freedom the office of Vice President allowed him. Or perhaps, he genuinely believed that it gave him the duty to speak his mind. Either way, he became a risk that the system was not willing to carry.