Agony of exit: On the resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar
Jagdeep Dhankhar’s resignation as Vice-President is a setback (असफलता, नाकामयाबी) for parliamentary democracy
The abrupt decision by Jagdeep Dhankhar to resign as the Vice-President of India raises several questions about the relationship between the executive and Parliament. Also in focus are the dynamics within the ruling BJP. The Vice-President is also the chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Mr. Dhankhar is the first Vice-President in the history of the Republic to resign this way — some of his predecessors (पूर्ववर्ती, पूर्वाधिकारी) who resigned before completing their term had the reason of moving on to get elected as the President of India. While his resignation letter cites health reasons, it is clear that his decision was driven by other factors which remain speculative (काल्पनिक, अनुमानित) at this point. What is evident is that some of the developments on Monday had snowballed into a situation in which Mr. Dhankhar found exit to be the only viable (व्यवहार्य) path. He was active in his duties as the Chair, on the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament, and his office had also announced his public engagements for the week. After a health incident earlier this year, Mr. Dhankhar had returned to active public life, but nothing that had happened on Monday (July 21, 2025) necessitated a health-related decision. However, his decisions and statements on Monday citing parliamentary rules were in conflict with the script that the government had prepared for the removal of a Delhi High Court judge on charges of alleged corruption. His relationship with the executive had been souring (Becoming or making something bitter or unpleasant; becoming less friendly or enjoyable) for a while, but his position on judicial accountability (जवाबदेही), and the relative roles of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha in seeking it, turned out to be an inflection (A change in the form of a word (typically the ending) to express a grammatical function or attribute; a modulation of the voice) point, as it appears.
Mr. Dhankhar’s conduct as Chair of the Rajya Sabha during the last three years has been controversial. His partisan (पक्षपातपूर्ण) approach led to a motion for his removal by the Opposition, another first in parliamentary history. He questioned the inclusion of the words ‘secular’ and ‘socialist’ in the Constitution, publicly aligning with the RSS’s call for a debate on them. He has been a champion of parliamentary supremacy (सर्वोच्चता, प्रभुत्व) in the context of judicial independence and vocal about corruption in the judiciary. While seeking to uphold the supremacy of Parliament and to draw a line of acceptable conduct for the judiciary, he entertained an Opposition move to impeach Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav of the Allahabad High Court who had made communally (सामूहिक रूप से) charged remarks in public. Mr. Dhankhar acknowledged receiving a motion signed by over 50 MPs for Justice Yadav’s removal and said he was verifying their signatures. He had also accepted an Opposition motion for the removal of the Delhi judge. Mr. Dhankhar had few options other than what he did, going by the rules. But that put him on a collision (टकराव) course with the government. His resignation weakens India’s parliamentary democracy.
Courtesy: The Hindu
Important Word List With Meaning
1.Agony (Noun)
Hindi Meaning - पीड़ा, अत्यधिक कष्ट
English Meaning - Extreme physical or mental suffering.
2.Setback (Noun)
Hindi Meaning - असफलता, नाकामयाबी
English Meaning - A reversal or check in progress.
3.Predecessor (Noun)
Hindi Meaning - पूर्ववर्ती, पूर्वाधिकारी
English Meaning - A person who held a job or office before the current holder; a thing that has been followed or replaced by another.
4.Speculative (Adjective)
Hindi Meaning - काल्पनिक, अनुमानित
English Meaning - Based on conjecture rather than knowledge; involving high risk of loss.
5.Viable (Adjective)
Hindi Meaning - व्यवहार्य
English Meaning - Capable of working successfully; feasible.
6.Accountability (Noun)
Hindi Meaning - जवाबदेही
English Meaning - The fact or condition of being accountable; responsibility.
7.Partisan (Adjective)
Hindi Meaning - पक्षपातपूर्ण
English Meaning - A strong supporter of a party, cause, or person; prejudiced in favor of a particular cause.
8.Supremacy (Noun)
Hindi Meaning - सर्वोच्चता, प्रभुत्व
English Meaning - The state of being superior to all others in authority, power, or status.
9.Collision (Noun)
Hindi Meaning - टकराव
English Meaning - An instance of one moving object or person striking violently against another.
10.Communally (Adverb)
Hindi Meaning - सामूहिक रूप से
English Meaning - In a way that relates to or is shared by a community; in a way that relates to communities in conflict.
11.Souring (Adjective)
English Meaning - Becoming or making something bitter or unpleasant; becoming less friendly or enjoyable.
12.Inflection (Noun)
English Meaning - A change in the form of a word (typically the ending) to express a grammatical function or attribute; a modulation of the voice.