Jagdeep Dhankhar's last day as Vice-President: Praise for Kharge, call for political bonhomie

Indian Express

4 days ago

July 21, the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which also turned out to be his last day as Vice President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, began as usual for Jagdeep Dhankhar.
The sitting of the Upper House began at 11 am, with Dhankhar requesting members to maintain order as new MPs were sworn in by the Secretary General. Once the oath-taking was over, Dhankhar wished members Laxmikant Bajpayee, Rajeev Shukla and Sangeeta Yadav, who had celebrated their birthdays the previous day.
The Vice President then wished Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, whose birthday was on Monday, heaping praise on him. 'As national president of the Indian National Congress and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, you embody trust and respect transcending political lines,' Dhankhar said. He added that he had benefited from Kharge's guidance on several occasions.
Dhankhar then went on to read out obituary references for former members of the House, including ex-Gujarat chief Vijay Rupani, as is the practice on the first day of a Session.
He referred to the terror attack at Pahalgam in Kashmir 'deeply wounding our collective conscience', and hailed India's response in the form of Operation Sindoor 'to neutralise terrorist hideouts across the border'. He praised the 'resolute bravery of our armed forces' and the 'steadfast solidarity of our people'.
Dhankhar then referred to 'the tragic crash of Air India flight 171 on 12th June, claiming 240 lives'. 'While investigations continue, we mourn this profound loss. On behalf of the House, I offer heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families…,' he said. Rupani was among those who died in the crash.
Dhankhar also made a plea for reducing acrimony in the House. 'A thriving democracy cannot sustain constant acrimony. Political tension must be reduced, as confrontation is not the essence of politics. While political parties may pursue the same goals through different approaches, no one in India opposes the nation's interests,' he said. He called upon all political parties to 'foster bonhomie and mutual respect, avoiding unbecoming language or personal attacks against leaders…'.
Dhankhar then informed the House that he had received notice of motion under Rule 167, from Samik Bhattacharya of the BJP, to discuss Operation Sindoor, adding that the date and time for the discussion would be decided in consultation with the Leader of the House and others.
He said that 18 notices had been received for discussion under Rule 267 on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, and that Opposition leaders had also sent notices for discussion on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. He said that, among other things, he had also received notice from CPI(M) MP A A Rahim for a discussion on the ongoing negotiations for a trade agreement with the US and its impact on the agricultural sector.
The Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Harivansh, took charge of the proceedings in the House after this.
Around 1 pm, Dhankhar held a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) to decide the time and nature of discussions to be held in the Rajya Sabha. The meeting was inconclusive, with the Opposition seeking more time to decide on the government's suggestions. Dhankhar then said that another BAC meeting would be held later in the day, at 4.30 pm.
By 3 pm, the Opposition submitted its notice for removal of Justice Yashwant Varma, from whose house allegedly a stack of currency was discovered, to Dhankhar. At 4.05 pm, Dhankhar informed the Rajya Sabha that he had received the notice, and said since it had been signed by more than 50 members, it met the numerical requirement for initiation of proceedings against the High Court judge.
He further told the House that, as per rules, if a notice of motion for removal of a judge is given in any of the two Houses – the numerical requirement in the Lok Sabha being 100 – the presiding officer may accept or reject it. But, if such a notice is given in both Houses on the same day, and it met the numerical requirement in each House, 'the right of the Speaker or Chairman to admit or reject the motion is not there', Dhankhar said. 'Then, the motions become property of the House.'
He then sought to know whether a similar notice for the removal of the judge had been given in the Lok Sabha. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said it had been done. (Speaker Om Birla is yet to inform the Lok Sabha regarding it.) Dhankhar replied that in such a case, the Secretary General would take the required next steps.
Dhankhar then told the House that he had also received a notice signed by 55 members for the removal of a judge of the Allahabad High Court – a reference to Justice Shekhar Yadav, whom the Opposition wants removed over objectionable remarks made at a VHP event. He said that, in this notice, it seemed that one member had signed in two places, requiring him to 'get to the bottom of the issue and find out whether the representation was meriting consideration…'. He said that the process was on and he would update the House about it later.
Underlining that this was necessary because the House had set high standards for itself, Dhankhar then mentioned the December 2024 discovery of wads of notes on a seat in the House – allegedly belonging to MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
Dhankhar left the House close to 4.30 pm, following which Sasmit Patra of the BJP replaced him in the Chair. It was after this that he held the BAC meeting where representatives of the government did not turn up. Leader of the House J P Nadda told reporters on Tuesday that they had informed Dhankhar in advance that they would not be able to attend due to a prior engagement.
At about 9.25 pm, the resignation of Dhankhar was announced by the X handle of the Vice President of India.