New Delhi [India], July 22 : Amidst the opposition raising concerns over the sudden resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, BJP MP Dr Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad stated that he was admitted to AIIMS a few days ago and resigned due to health reasons.
Speaking to ANI, Dr Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad said, "Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's health was not good and he was also admitted to AIIMS some days ago. He resigned due to health reasons"
Earlier, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Mrityunjay Tiwari claimed that citing health reasons for the resignation seemed to be an excuse, but in reality, it appeared that he was hurt by the BJP government challenging his privileges.
Speaking to ANI, Tiwari claimed that Dhankhar tendered his resignation under "some pressure".
"Only he knows the health reasons for which he resigned, but it appears that he has given this resignation under some pressure. He must have been hurt in some way by the BJP challenging his privileges in Rajya Sabha. There must be some reason why he resigned; health reasons seem to be an excuse, but in reality, it seems that he is hurt by this government," the RJD leader said.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday claimed that there are "far deeper reasons" behind the resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, citing the "deliberate" absence of Union Ministers JP Nadda and Kiren Rijiju from the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting chaired by the Rajya Sabha Chairman on July 21.
In a post on X, Jairam said that the first BAC meeting, called at 12:30 pm on Monday, was attended by both Union Ministers, but both Nadda and Rijiju were "deliberately" absent from the 4:30 pm meeting called by Dhankhar.
"Yesterday, Shri Jagdeep Dhankar chaired the Business Advisory Committee of the Rajya Sabha at 12:30 PM. It was attended by most members, including Leader of the House JP Nadda and the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju. After some discussion, the BAC decided to meet again at 4:30 PM," he said.
"At 4:30 PM, the BAC reassembled under the chairmanship of Shri Jagdeep Dhankar. It waited for Shri Nadda and Shri Rijiju to arrive. They never came. Shri Jagdeep Dhankar was not personally informed that the two senior Ministers were not attending. Rightly, he took umbrage and rescheduled the BAC for today (July 22) at 1 PM," the Congress leader said in the post.
"So something very serious happened yesterday between 1 PM and 4:30 PM to account for the deliberate absence of Shri Nadda and Shri Rijiju from the second BAC yesterday," he added.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on Monday from his post "to prioritise health care and abide by medical advice."
"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," the letter said.
The Vice President also expressed his deep gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Council of Ministers.
"Prime Minister's cooperation and support have been invaluable, and I have learned much during my time in office," he said.
Dhankhar said that the warmth, trust, and affection he has received from all the Members of Parliament will be cherished and embedded in his memory.
The resignation came on the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament. Dhankhar was sworn in as the 14th Vice President of India on August 11, 2022. As Vice President, he also served as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.