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“Your concerns for the farmers’ protest are crocodile tears.”
“RSS is like a global think tank of the highest order.”
Any guesses who said all this?
These aren’t lines from a Sangh spokesperson. They were all said inside Parliament — by none other than Jagdeep Dhankhar, who, until recently, was the Vice President of India.
Now, on paper, the role of Vice President sounds pretty unremarkable. The Constitution says he’s the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. And if the President is ever unavailable, he steps in. That’s it.
But in his three-year tenure, Dhankhar managed to turn this mostly ceremonial office into a political battlefield.
He’s now stepped down, citing health reasons. But the politics around his resignation — and his entire term — tells a much bigger story.
Let me explain.
Before we get into the details, here’s something to keep in mind.
The Vice President is supposed to be a neutral constitutional figure — a referee in the political arena. But what happens when that referee starts picking sides, attacking institutions, and pushing a partisan line?
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Dhankhar took office as Vice President in August 2022, at the age of 74. His term was supposed to run until 2027. But two years in, he has now suddenly walked out.
Now, here’s the strange part.
On the very day he resigned, he presided over the Rajya Sabha, swore in new members, and apparently even accepted an impeachment notice against Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma.
And just hours before the resignation, some MPs reportedly spoke to him. There was no sign anything was wrong.
Then, suddenly, on the evening of July 21, he handed over his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu. In his letter, he said he wanted to “prioritise health care and abide by medical advice.”
It is evident that the government was unhappy with him.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s farewell message was oddly muted.
He simply posted two lines on X.
No praise, no real warmth, and it came 13 hours after the resignation.
Now remember, this is the same Dhankhar who spent most of his tenure defending the government, defending the RSS and sometimes aggressively.
And this isn’t just about a resignation.
It’s about how Dhankhar used the Vice President’s office — and how he left it.
Let’s rewind.
From day one in office, it was clear Dhankhar wasn’t going to play neutral.
In fact, he became the only Vice President ever to face a no-confidence motion, though Deputy Chairman Harivansh dismissed it as flawed.
Dhankhar’s very first session — the Winter Session of 2022 — started with a bang.
He opened with an attack on the Supreme Court, criticising its 2015 judgment that struck down the National Judicial Appointments Commission.
He called it a “glaring instance” of the judiciary undermining the people’s will — questioning the idea of judicial review itself.
But that was just the beginning.
As Chair of the Rajya Sabha, his job was to act like an umpire in a cricket match. Instead, Dhankhar chose to play for one team. Over and over again.
In August 2023, violence in Manipur was raging.
The Opposition kept demanding that Prime Minister Modi come to the Rajya Sabha and speak.
Dhankhar shut that down. He said he “could not and would not” direct the PM to attend, and that it was entirely the Prime Minister’s prerogative.
Now, technically, that may be true. But when the entire Opposition is demanding accountability, and you dismiss it, that’s a political stand.
By December 2023, the situation had worsened.
146 MPs were suspended from Parliament — most of them for demanding a statement from Amit Shah on a major Parliament security breach.
It was the highest number of suspensions in a single session — ever.
And it happened under Dhankhar’s watch.
It’s no wonder that the Opposition eventually submitted a notice to move a no-confidence motion against him.
That happened in December 2024. The notice was rejected, of course.
In the last three years, the Rajya Sabha had become more of a sparring ring than a debating chamber.
Consider when the Opposition raised the issue of the farmer protests, and Dhankhar called their concerns “crocodile tears.”
Or when the Opposition wanted to discuss the controversy around wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from the Paris Olympics.
Dhankhar rebuked them.
He said, and I quote, “They think they are the only ones whose hearts are bleeding. The entire nation is in pain because of the girl… but to monetise it, politicise it, is the greatest disrespect to the girl.”
Once again, he chose to attack the Opposition instead of facilitating a discussion.
And then came his bizarre defence of the RSS.
He told the Rajya Sabha that the RSS has “unimpeachable credentials” and is a global think tank.
Why was the Vice President of India using Parliament to make ideological arguments on behalf of the Sangh? Once again, that’s not what the job is.
But what really seemed to provoke Dhankhar was Tamil Nadu govt’s victory in the Supreme Court.
On April 8, 2025, the apex court ruled that the Tamil Nadu Governor illegally withheld assent to several state bills. To enforce its decision, it invoked its inherent powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to give effect to the bills in question.
Dhankhar went ballistic.
He called Article 142 a “nuclear missile”, and accused the judiciary of acting like a “super Parliament.”
The Vice-President’s words acted like a catalyst, leading to more BJP leaders slamming the SC for standing up for federalism and rights of states.
BJP leader Nishikant Dubey even said CJI Sanjiv Khanna was responsible for “all civil wars in the country.”
Now, to be fair, Dhankhar wasn’t afraid to raise tough questions about judicial accountability and corruption. And those are necessary conversations.
But let’s not pretend his criticisms were meant to bring reform. More often than not, they came only when the judiciary went against the government.
From December 2024, Dhankhar has also been openly supporting the rights of farmers.
He even urged Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to fulfil promises made to them, warning that “we should not disturb the soul of India.”
It was a visible break from the script.
So why was Dhankhar chosen to be Vice President in the first place?
Well, before taking on that role, he had already made a name for himself.
As Governor of West Bengal, he was basically Mamata Banerjee’s biggest troll.
From accusing her government of corruption, to attacking how universities were being run — he never held back. The Bengal government even passed a law to remove him as the Chancellor of state universities.
He was also notorious for sitting on bills, just like RN Ravi, the governor of Tamil Nadu, or Rajendra Arlekar in Kerala.
That kind of ‘boat-rocking’ is probably what earned him the Vice President post.
But why resign now?
Especially given that Dhankhar had spent most of his time in office defending this very government — sometimes to the point of being accused of sycophancy.
Which is why the Congress was quick to say it believed “far deeper reasons” lay behind the resignation.
And they may have a point.
Because when someone who once seemed inseparable from the ruling party suddenly steps away, and the Prime Minister barely reacts, something’s clearly shifted.
There are many theories.
Dhankhar accepted an impeachment motion against Justice Varma from the opposition, without getting the government’s permission.
He basically embarrassed the government by pitching for farmers’ rights.
He has been attacking coaching centres in Kota, calling them “poaching” centres.
Let’s not forget. The Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, is the MP from Kota.
Some reports say his forced resignation was linked to picking a new BJP president.
In any case, it’s the end of an era — one where a Vice President blurred the lines between impartiality and partisanship.
Where the Upper House of Parliament became a stage for takedowns, not debates.
And while Jagdeep Dhankhar is no longer Vice President, the legacy he leaves behind is loud, polarising, and hard to forget.
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