Two big names echoed inside and outside Parliament during the just-concluded tumultuous winter session – Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar and Jagdeep Dhankhar – for entirely different reasons. The late Ambedkar, of course, needs no introduction. Dhankhar, while obviously not in Ambedkar’s league, holds the second-highest constitutional post in the country as Vice President. Moreover, he is the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha – a high-profile role that has inevitably thrust him into the national limelight.
As the dust settles after one of the most bitter and stormy Parliament sessions in the history of the republic, one can’t help but ask whether Dhankhar will get the “next promotion” – as Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge put it. In other words, what are Dhankhar’s prospects of becoming the President of India? Will the Bharatiya Janata Party send him to Rashtrapati Bhawan in 2027 when President Droupadi Murmu’s term expires for all he has done for the BJP?
Or will the BJP heartlessly dump Dhankhar after using him to the hilt? After all, despite his unmatched contributions to the BJP, Lal Krishna Advani wasn’t sent to Rashtrapati Bhawan. Advani had to be content with a Bharat Ratna – and that was all. Hence, a big question mark hangs over Dhankhar’s prospects despite his yeoman service for the saffron party.
The glaring difference between Murmu and Dhankhar is that the former blotted her copybook nearly two years after becoming the President. Murmu was untainted and untouched by even the whiff of controversy when the BJP zeroed in on her and made her the President. It’s another matter that she subsequently brought disrepute to her high constitutional post by selectively commenting on the rape and murder of a trainee woman doctor inside Kolkata’s R.G. Kar government hospital in Trinamool Congress-ruled West Bengal.
In August, Murmu suddenly transformed into a BJP spokesperson, expressing her “dismay” and “outrage” over the R.G. Kar crime without mentioning equally horrific incidents such as Unnao, Hathras, Bilkis Bano, or Manipur. Her selective outrage lowered the dignity of her office, and a stung Trinamool Congress rightly called her out for targeting West Bengal to please the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah dispensation, which had gifted her the presidency.
Our Constitution envisions the President as a wise and enlightened public figure who is above politics. Once elected, the President must quit the political party they belong to and resign from Parliament if they are a sitting MP. That’s why ruling regimes and opposition parties traditionally try to build consensus on a candidate who meets the most important qualification for the presidency – general acceptability.
The BJP, however, has disrupted this practice in recent years, choosing Ram Nath Kovind and Murmu, both relatively unknown personalities, for the top post. Dhankhar, in that sense, is a different kettle of fish. His controversies and partisanship make him an unlikely candidate for the presidency in an ideal world envisioned by our Constitution.
Earlier this month, 60 opposition MPs sought Dhankhar’s removal as Rajya Sabha Chairman for his alleged bias. They submitted a six-point charge sheet, accusing him of acting as a government spokesperson and praising the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The no-confidence motion against him – the first in parliamentary history – underlined his complete unacceptability outside the BJP.
Dhankhar also enjoys the dubious distinction of being blocked on Twitter by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who accused him of unethical and unconstitutional behavior during his tenure as the state’s Governor. Banerjee alleged that Dhankhar spied on officials, issued threats to bureaucrats, and ignored multiple complaints sent to the Prime Minister.
By crossing all limits, Dhankhar may have shot himself in the foot. His ambition to live in Rashtrapati Bhawan might remain a pipe dream. The BJP could easily cite his unacceptability and controversies to sideline him when the race for the presidency heats up.
The author is an independent, Pegasused reporter and commentator on foreign policy and domestic politics
