Dhankhar sahab resigned due to health issues, says Amit Shah; rejects ‘house arrest' claims by Opposition

Amid growing speculation over former vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar's resignation, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said Dhankhar resigned due to health issues and dismissed the opposition's claims that he was under "house arrest".

In an interview with ANI, Shah said, "Dhankhar Sahab's resignation letter is clear in itself. He has cited health reasons for his resignation. He has also expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Prime Minister and other ministers and government members for his good tenure."

#WATCH | On opposition raising questions about the resignation of former VP Jagdeep Dhankhar, Union HM Amit Shah says, "...'Baat ka batangad nahi banana chahiye' (don't make a fuss about it). Dhankhar ji was on a constitutional post and during his tenure, he did good work… pic.twitter.com/jJGRMogynf

— ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2025

When asked about Dhankhar being under "house arrest", as claimed by certain opposition leaders, Shah said the interpretation of truth and lies should not rely solely on opposition statements and warned against making a fuss over the former VP's resignation.

"It seems like your interpretation of truth and lies is based on what the opposition has to say. We shouldn't make a fuss out of all this. Dhankhar held a constitutional post and discharged his duties as per the Constitution. He resigned due to health reasons. One should not deliberate much on it," Shah said.

The remarks come after opposition leaders raised questions about the sudden resignation, claiming Dhankhar had been "silenced" by the government. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said it was the first time in the country's history that a vice president's resignation was accompanied by what he described as "silencing".

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also criticised the centre, questioning Dhankhar's whereabouts and accusing the ruling BJP of taking the country back to "medieval times".

"We are going back to medieval times when the king could just remove anybody at will. There's no concept of what an elected person is. He doesn't like your face, so he tells the ED to put a case, and then a democratically elected person is wiped out within 30 days. Also, let's not forget why we are electing a new vice president. Just yesterday I was having a conversation with somebody and I said, you know, where is the old vice president gone?," Gandhi said in a press conference on August 20.

Supreme Court advocate and senior leader Kapil Sibal also raised the question of whether a habeas corpus petition should be filed given Dhankhar's absence from public view.

However, the BJP has maintained that Dhankhar resigned due to health reasons and dismissed suggestions of any differences with him.

Dhankhar resigned on the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament on July 21, stating that he wanted "to prioritise health care and abide by medical advice".

At the time, he was serving as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha and had submitted his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu.