Dhankhar not new to controversy, had questioned govt amid farmers’ protests

Known to speak his mind, former Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar had openly batted for the agitating farmers in December 2024 and advised the Centre to consider their statutory MSP demand.

Besides, the former VP, at least on five occasions in the recent past, publicly questioned the absence of an FIR in the case involving the recovery of charred currency notes from the residence of Justice Yashwant Varma, formerly of the Delhi High Court and later transferred to the Allahabad High Court.

Dhankhar repeatedly wondered why the Delhi Police (who are directly under the Home Ministry) was not registering a case despite the occurrence of a crime.

Earlier, as the VP, Dhankhar accused the higher judiciary of acting as super Parliament and said the Constitution did not conceive of a power higher than Parliament.

Dhankhar’s strongest comments by far, however, came on the issue of farmers.

Not too long ago on December 3 last, he took on the government for not speaking to protesting farmers and said a nation that tests the patience of farmers pays a heavy price.

Invoking Punjab’s Jagjit Singh Dallewal on fast unto death at the time, Dhankhar asked the Centre not to take a narrow view of farmer agitations.

Speaking at the Indian Council for Agricultural Research, in the presence of Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, he said, “Agriculture Minister, sir, I request you to please tell me, was any promise made to the farmers, and why has it not been fulfilled? What are we doing to fulfil the promise? There was an agitation last year, and there is one this year as well, and time is passing, but we are doing nothing.”

Reflecting on the broader impact of the farmers’ movement, the VP had said it was a very narrow assessment to think that the farmers’ movement only referred to those on the streets.

“No. The son of a farmer is now an officer, the son of a farmer is now a government employee. Why did Lal Bahadur Shastri say, ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’? With that ‘Jai Kisan’, our attitude should be the same as was envisioned by Lal Bahadur Shastri,” he said.

Even earlier, ahead of the farmers’ protests from Noida to New Delhi in December 2024, Dhankhar had said his “doors for farmers are open 24X7”.