Abhay Chautala’s farmhouse is an interim arrangement till the time Dhankhar gets official residence that he’s entitled to as a former VP. Political veteran Jagdeep Dhankhar, who has been out of the public eye ever since he quit as Vice-President of India several weeks ago, has shifted out of the VP Enclave in central Delhi.
As for his current whereabouts — the subject of massive speculation and numerous political jibes — he has reportedly shifted into a private farmhouse in Delhi. In the month and a half since he quit midway in his term citing health reasons, Dhankhar has been spending time with his family, playing table tennis and practising yoga, said a report citing sources close to him. The farmhouse in the Gadaipur area of Chhatarpur in South Delhi belongs to prominent Jat leader Abhay Chautala of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) from Haryana.
Senior among politicians from the agricultural Jat community, and touted as a grassroots “kisan putra” (farmer’s son), Dhankhar has applied for pension as an ex-MLA from Rajasthan. He was MP and a union minister, too, during stints with the Janata Dal, Congress, and the BJP. Before becoming VP, he served as the governor of West Bengal. The Chautala farmhouse is an interim arrangement till the time he is allocated a Type-VIII official residence, which he is entitled to as a former vice-president.
‘Gayab’ jibe by Rahul, ‘don’t stretch’ reply by Shah
Since Dhankhar resigned on July 21, the first day of the monsoon session, reports have said the trigger was his acceptance of an Opposition-sponsored motion to remove Justice Yashwant Varma over cash found at the latter’s house. The government wanted precedence to the common motion sponsored by the ruling BJP-led NDA, reports said.
He has said nothing, and the government has stuck to “health reasons”. There was talk in Delhi, however, of his behaviour and discussions with MPs, particularly those from the Congress, AAP and other Opposition parties, being factors. His “gayab (disappeared)” status was raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently in the campaign to pick his successor. Gandhi claimed there was a “big story behind it”. Home minister Amit Shah, however, told that Dhankhar’s reasons concerning his health should be respected, and there was “no need to stretch this”.
Who will be Jagdeep Dhankhar’s successor?
Election for the next VP, in which all MPs vote, is scheduled for September 9.
The contest is between the ruling BJP-led NDA’s CP Radhakrishnan, who is currently Governor of Maharashtra, and the Congress-led INDIA bloc’s B Sudershan Reddy, a former Supreme Court judge. Dhankhar’s term as the vice-president was to end on August 10, 2027. The next VP will get a full five-year term, and not just the remainder. The NDA has the majority to cruise through, but the INDIA bloc has put up a show of strength and unity with ex-judge Reddy’s candidature.
