Mystery Exit By Dhankhar: Parliament Must Move On

As Jagdeep Dhankhar quit as vice-president, ostensibly on health grounds, when two-thirds of the way into his term, he left parliamentarians guessing as to what transpired in the strata of highest political power. — Internet

There is rum irony in the fact that the Opposition, which had often had bones to pick over the avowedly partisan conduct of Rajya Sabha proceedings and had even brought an impeachment motion against Mr Dhankhar, was left seeking his continuance

A colourful occupation of one of the country’s highest constitutional posts came to a mysteriously abrupt end leading to the sprouting of many a conspiracy theory. As Jagdeep Dhankhar quit as vice-president, ostensibly on health grounds, when two-thirds of the way into his term, he left parliamentarians guessing as to what transpired in the strata of highest political power.

There have been several resignations of vice-presidents, some of whom went on to become the President or gave up the post when not elevated, but the terms of none came to such a dramatic ending on the same day as the portals of Parliament had opened for what was routinely tagged as another “stormy session”.

There is rum irony in the fact that the Opposition, which had often had bones to pick over the avowedly partisan conduct of Rajya Sabha proceedings and had even brought an impeachment motion against Mr Dhankhar, was left seeking his continuance.

The fact remains that while his health — over which there had been some concerns as he had had a heart procedure after which he had once fainted at a public event — was the proffered reason, Mr Dhankhar leaves behind a riddle wrapped in a mystery.

His monologues in the Rajya Sabha as a chairman who loved to spell out his opinions before letting any member state his view, with constant interleaving of his own thoughts on the subject or even refusing to give an MP the opportunity to speak, might one day be spoken of as part of parliamentary history. Meetings of Parliament in these contentious times were never going to be as easy-going as they may have been in the early days of the Republic.

Among the moderns handpicked by the right-of-centre for the crucial management of the Upper House, Mr Dhankhar was an unusual combination of the knowledgeable, the judgmental and stern decision-making. His run-ins with Opposition leaders and prominent MPs of the celebrity kind lit up sessions even as the legislative business at hand seemed to take a back seat.

Whereas he often got his word in during debates, Mr Dhankhar, however, did the unusual in allowing the Leader of the Opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge, much leeway in speaking on Operation Sindoor and other issues of kinds more polemical than political on what became his last day as presiding officer. He may have been choosy when it came to giving members the privilege to speak on the floor, but when he did he also gave them a long rope.

While the mystery will endure over the vice-president who was a crusader for curbing the rights of the judiciary and his unforeseen departure, Parliament will have to move on. Wrangling over the right to the floor of debate and discussion still seems to hold the Houses in its grip despite the government and the Opposition having fixed a time to hold the debate on Operation Sindoor and related issues.

It can only be hoped that the proceedings would be smoother and less antagonistic as the Opposition tries to use one significant forum open to it to speak up and question the government rather than be blamed as a party to its constant disruption. Talk of cooperation and coordination cannot be topics of conversation only at all-party meetings.