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Top sources confirm that the conflict between the Vice-President and the government reached a “point of no return” nearly eight weeks ago, around the end of April
Speculation about Jagdeep Dhankhar’s quiet meetings with Opposition leaders remains, but sources close to the party say those were not the trigger. (File)
Over 36 hours have passed since Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from his constitutional post, yet the mystery surrounding his sudden departure continues to deepen. What began as silent friction behind closed doors is now erupting into a slow political unravelling, and it appears to be just the beginning.
Top sources confirm that the conflict between the Vice-President and the government reached a “point of no return” nearly eight weeks ago, around the end of April.
Alarmed by his growing assertiveness, and some “unilateral decisions”, which were perceived as increasing institutional independence, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activated its organisational redress system in a bid to contain the rift.
Layered fallout as deadlock persists
At least three senior leaders including two organisational heads were tasked with smoothing over the differences. But despite multiple rounds of quiet diplomacy and a series of discussions, the deadlock held.
Eventually, the party began considering the most drastic step, a ‘removal motion’ against a sitting Vice-President, something unprecedented in Indian parliamentary history. Faced with this possibility, Dhankhar decided to take control of the narrative and tendered his resignation to evade further “humiliation and embarrassment”.
What followed in the hours immediately after his exit was telling in itself. Orders for transfers and other posting of IAS and IFS officers attached to the Vice-President’s Secretariat were issued without delay, which apparently was a clear sign that the establishment was ready to move on, swiftly and without sentiment.
Bulletproof car to VP enclave: Clash of titans
Dhankhar has been the man who relentlessly took on the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and outside, while defending the government’s position with near-daily consistency, and was often accused of blatant overreach in favour of the regime. This aspect made the resignation even more striking than anyone can fathom.
The tipping points were layered. His alleged insistence on a bulletproof vehicle citing institutional dignity, a new palatial VP enclave that drew murmurs within the BJP leadership, and his active foreign trips —all became pressure points.
A look at the VP’s engagement with foreign delegation, his counterparts of foreign nations and other call on programs started reducing from February onwards. In fact, post March, he did not have any call-on events at the VP enclave. His foreign trips were curtailed around the same time.
Added to this was his increasingly pronounced desire to project the Vice President’s office as more than ceremonial, even quasi-autonomous, something that did not also sit well with the centralised style of governance.
Speculation about Dhankhar’s quiet meetings with Opposition leaders remains, but sources close to the party say those were not the trigger. “It was the tone, not the company,” says a BJP insider. “He was beginning to act as if the Vice-President’s office came with its own political bandwidth,” he added.
Madhuparna Das, Associate Editor (policy) at CNN News 18, has been in journalism for nearly 14 years. She has extensively been covering politics, policy, crime and internal security issues. She has covered Naxa…Read More
Madhuparna Das, Associate Editor (policy) at CNN News 18, has been in journalism for nearly 14 years. She has extensively been covering politics, policy, crime and internal security issues. She has covered Naxa… Read More
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