Watch: As Jagdeep Dhankar resigns unexpectedly, his old video resurfaces; had said 'Will quit in 2027, subject to divine intervention'
NEW DELHI: Vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from his post on Monday evening, citing medical reasons. His decision has triggered speculation in political circles.
In his resignation letter to President Droupadi Murmu, Dhankhar wrote, "To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as vice-president of India, effective immediately, in accordance with Article 67(a) of the Constitution.
"
Dhankhar, 74, had taken office in August 2022. His term was scheduled to run until August 2027. As vice-president, he also served as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. His resignation came on the first day of the Monsoon session of Parliament.
Following his resignation, an old video has resurfaced on social media in which Dhankhar can be heard stating that he would retire in August 2027, "subject to divine intervention."
"I will retire at the right time, August 2027, subject to divine intervention," he had said while speaking at an event at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on July 10 this year.
Dhankhar is the third vice president of India to resign during his tenure. V V Giri and R Venkataraman had earlier stepped down from the post to contest the presidential election.
Jagdeep Dhankhar's abrupt resignation has triggered the process for selecting his successor.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
2 minutes ago
- India.com
India's Pharma Exports Have Shot Up By 92% In Last 6 Years: Minister
New Delhi: Various schemes being implemented by the Centre to realise the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat in the pharmaceutical sector have resulted in India's exports of drugs and pharmaceuticals increasing by 92 per cent, from Rs 1,28,028 crore in FY2018-19 to Rs 2,45,962 crore in FY2024-25, the Parliament was informed on Friday. The schemes include the Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma MedTech Sector (PRIP) scheme, the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Pharmaceuticals, the PLI Scheme for Bulk Drugs, Scheme for Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks, and Strengthening of Pharmaceutical Industry scheme, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Anupriya Patel told the Lok Sabha in a written reply to a question. The PRIP scheme has been launched with an outlay of Rs 5,000 crore to transform India's Pharma MedTech sector from cost- to innovation-based growth by strengthening research and promoting industry-academia linkage for research and development in priority areas in drug discovery and development and medical devices. Under this scheme, seven Centres of Excellence (CoEs) have been set up, she said. The PLI Scheme for Pharmaceuticals aims to enhance India's manufacturing capabilities by increasing investment and production in the sector and contributing to product diversification to high-value goods in the pharmaceutical sector. The minister said that the scheme has enabled enhanced investment and production in eligible products. As of March 2025, the committed investment of Rs 17,275 crore targeted over the six-year period of the scheme stands substantially exceeded with a cumulative investment of Rs 37,306 crore made by the scheme's third year, and cumulative sales of approved products of Rs 2,66,528 crore have been made, including exports of Rs 1,70,807 crore. The PLI Scheme for Bulk Drugs, which has a total budgetary outlay of Rs 6,940 crore, aims to avoid disruption in the supply of critical active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) used to make critical drugs for which there are no alternatives by reducing supply disruption risk due to excessive dependence on a single source. As of March 2025, the committed investment of Rs 3,938.5 crore under projects approved under the scheme for investment over the six-year production period of the scheme stands substantially exceeded with a cumulative investment of Rs 4,570 crore made by the scheme's third year, she further stated. The minister also highlighted that the government launched the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana scheme to make quality generic medicines available at affordable prices to all. Under the scheme, dedicated outlets known as Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs) are opened across the country to provide medicines at prices that are about 50 per cent to 80 per cent lower than those of leading branded medicines in the market. Till June 6, 2025, a total of 16,912 JAKs have been opened, and on average, about 10 to 12 lakh persons visit these Kendras daily and avail of quality medicines at affordable prices. As many as 2,110 medicines and 315 surgicals, medical consumables and devices are under the scheme product basket, covering all major therapeutic groups, such as cardiovascular, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-infectives, anti-allergic and gastro-intestinal medicines and nutraceuticals. As a result of the scheme, in the last 11 years, estimated savings of about Rs 38,000 crore have accrued to citizens in comparison to the prices of branded medicines. Further, the scheme has provided self-employment to over 16,000 persons, including over 6,800 women entrepreneurs, the minister added.
New Indian Express
2 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
TN CM Stalin slams SIR, vows to fight it with ‘democratic weapons'
CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday came down heavily on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar by charging that the revision is being misused to quietly remove voters from disadvantaged communities, thus tilting the balance in favour of the BJP. 'This is not about reform. It is about engineering outcomes,' Stalin said in his post on X handle. Stating that what happened in Bihar reveals 'the Delhi regime' knows the same electorate that once voted for it would vote it out, the chief minister said,'That is why it is trying to stop them from voting altogether. If you cannot defeat us, you seek to delete us. Don't play with fire. Any threat to our democracy will be met with firm resistance,' Stalin warned. The DMK president also said Tamil Nadu would raise its voice in full force and would fight this injustice with every democratic weapon at its disposal. Using the hashtags #BiharSIR and #QuitSIR, Stalin called upon every citizen who believes in the Constitution to rise against the SIR.
Scroll.in
2 minutes ago
- Scroll.in
Lok Sabha to take up removal motion against Justice Yashwant Varma: Centre
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday said that the Lok Sabha will take up a bipartisan motion to remove Justice Yashwant Varma, The Hindu reported. The minister added that the decision to impeach the High Court judge was unanimous and that 152 MPs from the ruling coalition and the Opposition parties had signed the motion. There is consensus that the removal of Varma should be a joint effort, The Hindu quoted Rijiju as saying. He said that the Lok Sabha will take up the proceedings before they move to the Rajya Sabha in line with the Judges Inquiry Act. The minister's comment came amid a motion sponsored by the Opposition being moved in the Upper House on July 21, which was the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. The process had been initiated in the Lok Sabha on the same day, The Hindu reported. The notice in the Rajya Sabha has not been admitted, the newspaper quoted unidentified officials as saying. To impeach a judge in Parliament, a removal motion is required to be signed by 100 Lok Sabha MPs or 50 Rajya Sabha MPs. If the motion is admitted, a three-member judicial committee investigates the matter. The Parliament votes on the impeachment if the committee finds misconduct. If the motion gets two-thirds of the votes, the president is advised to remove the judge. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is expected to constitute the panel to probe the charges against Varma. Unaccounted cash was allegedly recovered at Varma's official residence in Delhi when emergency services responded to a fire there on March 14. He was a judge at the Delhi High Court at that time. The judge said that he was in Bhopal when the cash was discovered and claimed that it did not belong to him or his family. Amid the row, he was transferred to the Allahabad High Court. On March 22, the Supreme Court released a report, including a video and three photographs, showing bundles of notes that were allegedly recovered from the judge's home. The redacted report showed that Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya had written to Varma on March 21, asking him to 'account for the presence of money/cash' in a room located in his bungalow. After Varma declined to voluntarily retire or resign, Sanjiv Khanna, the chief justice at the time, sent the final in-house inquiry committee report on the incident to the president and the prime minister. The committee in its report had concluded that there was 'sufficient substance' in the charges against Varma. The report, dated May 3, held that the judge's misconduct was 'serious enough to call for initiation of proceedings for removal'. However, the report did not address questions about how the fire started, how much money was found, where the cash came from or where it is now. On July 18, Varma moved the Supreme Court against the in-house panel's findings, arguing that it creates a 'parallel, extra-constitutional mechanism' and undermines the procedure laid out in law, which vests the power to remove High Court judges in Parliament. Varma also challenged the recommendation made by Khanna to the president and the prime minister to initiate impeachment proceedings against him.
