Former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, whose sudden resignation on the first day of Monsoon Session of Parliament had led to intense political speculation, on Thursday made his first public appearance as he attended the swearing-in ceremony of his successor, CP Radhakrishnan.
Dhankhar, wearing a navy blue ‘bandhgala’ suit, sat in the front row as Radhakrishnan took oath as the 15th Vice President of India.
This was Dhankhar’s first public appearance and it came amid Opposition’s concerns about his whereabouts after the resignation.
While Dhankhar, who also served as Rajya Sabha Chairman, cited health reasons behind his decision to step down as the Vice President of India, the Opposition parties claimed he appeared healthy and that there was more to his resignation than meets the eye.
Reports also claimed that Dhankhar’s decision to accept an impeachment motion moved by the Opposition against the tainted High Court judge, Justice Yashwant Varma didn’t go down well with the Centre, which was also planning to bring a similar motion in the Lok Sabha.
After Dhankhar accepted the motion, he was reportedly asked to resign by the Centre. He was also allegedly conveyed that the government could bring an impeachment motion against him if he didn’t oblige.
An otherwise outspoken leader, Dhankhar didn’t make any public statement addressing the speculation and rumours.
Certain political leaders also alleged that he might have been placed under house arrest. However, Dhankhar moved out of the Vice Presidential residence and shifted to a private farmhouse near Delhi.
