Jagdeep Dhankhar Collapsed In Garden Three Days Before Resigning As Vice President

Jagdeep Dhankhar, who recently resigned from the post of India’s Vice President, had collapsed during a program on July 17 because of poor health, media reports have said.

Dhankhar gave his resignation “to prioritise health care and abide by medical advice,” on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

Reportedly, when the collapse occurred, Dhankhar was in the garden alongside his wife and VK Saxena, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.

His condition then deteriorated, and he was assisted out of the place after urgent medical assistance.

Sources noted that Dhankhar recently had an angioplasty at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi.

Dhankhar Remained Indian Vice President For Around Three Years

Earlier, in his resignation letter to President Droupadi Murmu, he said, “To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as the Vice President of India, effective immediately, in accordance with Article 67(a) of the Constitution.”

Dhankhar became the Vice President of India on August 11, 2022, after succeeding M. Venkaiah Naidu. 

With the tenure of vice president fixed at 5 years, Dhankhar was expected to carry on till 2027.

But after his resignation, he became just the third Indian vice president to step down before the term expired.

VV Giri and Bhairon Singh Shekhawat are the other two vice presidents to resign while being in office.

Congress Claims There Is More To Resignation Than Just Bad Health

Meanwhile, many political leaders said they were surprised by the decision of Jagdeep Dhankhar and wished him good health.

The senior leader of Congress, Jairam Ramesh, said that the resignation of Dhankhar is “shocking and hard to understand. Of course, Mr. Dhankhar must focus on his health.”

But the Congress party claimed that deeper reasons are involved behind his decision to step down and it’s not only a case of health concern.

They added that Dhankhar was upset because BJP President JP Nadda and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju were absent from a recent Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting.

However, Nadda said that he and Rijiju could not attend the meeting because they were involved in other key parliamentary duties.

Also Read: President Droupadi Murmu Accepts VP Jagdeep Dhankhar’s Resignation