Jagdeep Dhankhar, the most controversial constitutional VP in post-1947 India

Mint

6 days ago

The Constitution of India's description of the Vice President as an "ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha" who 'acts as President when the latter is unable to discharge his functions due to absence, illness or any other cause', is a rather innocuous description of the persona of Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Rarely, if ever, has a constitutional position been as controversial as this once-centrist politician from Rajasthan, whose surprise resignation on `health' grounds made him the first Vice President to quit for reasons other than contesting presidential polls or taking over as President after winning elections.
While disagreements between the Opposition and the Vice-President in his capacity as the Rajya Sabha Chairman is commonplace in India's parliamentary politics, what Dhankhar did was to elevate this rivalry to the level of outright hostility.
Elected Vice-President in August 2022, his term as the Rajya Sabha Chairman began on a controversial note during the Winter Session that year as he called the Supreme Court's 2015 judgment striking down the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act a 'glaring instance' of 'severe compromise' of parliamentary sovereignty and disregard of the 'mandate of the people'.
Since then, there have been several instances when he and Opposition MPs clashed on a regular basis.
In August 2023, Dhankhar told the Opposition that he 'could not and would not' direct Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be present in the House as it was the PM's prerogative, like any other MP, to come to Parliament. He made this statement as the Opposition benches continued to demand the PM's presence in the Rajya Sabha to address them on the issue of violence in Manipur.
Ties between the Rajya Sabha Chairman and the Opposition hit a low during the Winter Session of 2023 when 146 MPs were suspended from both Houses of Parliament, mostly over their demand for Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement on a Parliament security breach, followed by a discussion on the matter. It was the highest-ever number of suspensions in a Parliament session.
For the BJP, Dhankhar did not serve the purpose he was elected for.
Says political analyst Amitabh Tewari: "For the BJP, Dhankhar did not serve the purpose he was elected for. Despite his farmer background, he was unable to influence agitators. He became too abrasive and partisan in the House.'
In December 2024, Dhankhar became the first person holding one of the top two constitutional posts in the country to face the prospect of impeachment as the Opposition submitted a notice to move a no-confidence motion against him, which was rejected. Things reached a stage when the Rajya Sabha became a virtual.