New Delhi [India], July 22 : Congress leaders remain unconvinced regarding "health issues" being cited as the reason for the resignation of Jagdeep Dhankar as Vice President of India, who also serves as the Rajya Sabha chairman.
Urging the government to speak up, Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi said that a "stubborn person" like Dhankar, who visited Parliament despite being sick and citing health reasons for resignation, doesn't seem normal.
"This is very sad, and whatever happened is not normal. A akhad (stubborn) person like him, who used to come to the Parliament even when sick, citing health reasons for resignation, doesn't seem normal. The government should speak on it. It is silent and it indicates that everything is not normal," Pratapgarhi told ANI.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram stated that Dhankar's resignation came as a surprise to him and demanded transparency.
"It took everyone by surprise, including me. I don't believe that Vice President is in such precarious health that he can't discharge his functions anymore. This looks like one of those Soviet style resignations when, in those days, high-ranking officials were asked to go citing medical reasons. However, in India, which is an open democracy, we need to have far greater transparency. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Hopefully, in the coming days, we will have some transparency," Chidambaram told ANI.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Imran Masood suspected that something was being hidden. He claimed that there was some other reason for Dhankar's resignation.
"Something is being hidden. This cannot happen suddenly. Yesterday, he was presiding over the house, and today, he has resigned. We pray that the Almighty give him a long and healthy life. There is some other reason for his resignation," Masood told ANI.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey took a jibe at the opposition for expressing shock over Dhankar's resignation, implying that the opposition was being dramatic.
"Opposition is playing the role of Kader Khan in the film," Dubey posted on X while citing a news report from December last year where the opposition parties moved to impeach Dhankar from the Vice President's office and accused him of being "partisan".
Dhankhar, who was also Chairman of Rajya Sabha, sent his resignation letter to President Droupadi Murmu on Monday.
"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 read.
This development comes after sources informed that a committee is expected to be constituted to further investigate the allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma, following the notices given by MPs in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for his removal. Justice Verma was indicted by an in-house inquiry committee after semi-burnt wads of cash were found in his residence following a fire incident.