BJP to use oppn's own words to foil attack over Dhankhar exit

NEW DELHI: Amid growing indications of the opposition gearing up to turn the abrupt resignation of its one-time target Jagdeep Dhankhar into a weapon against the govt, treasury benches are relying on the ready stock of ammunition in the form of attacks the former VP had to face through his three-year tenure.

Opposition netas led by Congress had branded Dhankhar the "govt's cheerleader", accusing him of bias. "Jagdeep Dhankhar has repeatedly acted in a manner that reduces the prestige of the position (Rajya Sabha chairman) he presently occupies to that of a mere spokesman for the govt of the day. Therefore, we are issuing the present notice to bring a no-confidence motion against the VP in accordance with the provisions provided in the Constitution," opposition parties wrote in a notice for a no-trust motion they submitted to Rajya Sabha secretariat on Dec 10. The notice was the first-ever against a vice-president.

Congress president and leader of opposition in RS Mallikarjun Kharge often accused Dhankhar of muzzling him in the House. Ramesh, who once said Dhankhar behaved like a "cheerleader for the govt" instead of a neutral umpire, was the subject of a pending privilege notice for alleged disrespect to the chair.

The opposition had also cited an occasion last July when Dhankhar, while presiding as RS chairman, labelled himself as the "Eklavya of RSS".

Dhankhar's resignation for "health" reasons amid signs of tension has seen the opposition undertaking a radical reappraisal of the former V-P and turning him out as "kisanputra" in what BJP suspects to be a prelude to an effort to take him around as a "wronged farmer".

BJP, however, feels the ploy may not wash because of its sheer brazenness. "Public memory is short, but it is not so short to forget whatever the two sides said against each other," a party neta said.