President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday accepted Jagdeep Dhankhar’s resignation from the post of Vice President of India, following a notification by the Union Home Ministry. The sudden move, officially attributed to Dhankhar’s decision to “prioritise health care,” has triggered widespread speculation and political debate, especially since it came on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended wishes for Dhankhar’s good health and acknowledged his long service in various capacities, several opposition leaders have questioned the timing and real reason behind his departure.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, who also serves as Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, gave a guarded response, stating, “Only he (Dhankhar) knows the reason. We have nothing to say on this.”

Congress MP Manish Tewari described the resignation as a “riddle… wrapped in a mystery and rolled in an enigma.”

More sharply, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh raised concerns that Dhankhar may have resigned after being slighted by senior party colleagues. In a post on X, he detailed that Dhankhar chaired the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the Rajya Sabha at 12:30 PM on Monday, with JP Nadda and Kiren Rijiju in attendance. The meeting was adjourned to 4:30 PM, but when it resumed, both Nadda and Rijiju did not show up and Dhankhar was not personally informed about their absence. Offended by this, Dhankhar reportedly rescheduled the BAC for Tuesday at 1 PM.

Dhankhar had also informed the House about receiving a notice from 63 opposition MPs seeking the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma, who is allegedly involved in a corruption case. This motion apparently clashed with the government’s strategy to initiate a bipartisan removal process in the Lok Sabha instead of the Upper House.

Ramesh suggested that “something very serious happened between 1 PM and 4:30 PM”, which may have led to Dhankhar’s sudden decision. While he stated the official reason should be respected, he also implied there are “far deeper reasons” behind the resignation.

Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena (UBT) echoed similar sentiments, remarking that “big politics is going on behind the scenes” and predicted developments in September. “I was observing him yesterday. He is fine,” Raut said, casting doubt on the health explanation.

Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh met President Murmu following the resignation, with Rashtrapati Bhavan sharing an image of the meeting on X.