Jagdeep Dhankhar Breaks Silence: “Can’t Skip Duty For Flight” In First Post-Resignation Speech

Former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar made his first public appearance and delivered his first speech since his surprise resignation in July 2025, attending the launch of senior RSS functionary Manmohan Vaidya’s book “Hum Aur Yeh Vishwa” in Bhopal on November 21, 2025. The event marked Dhankhar’s return to the public stage four months after he abruptly stepped down, citing health reasons, an exit that had stunned political circles and ended his tenure as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and India’s 14th Vice President.

During the programme, Dhankhar indirectly addressed the circumstances of his resignation when an aide approached him mid-speech to remind him of a 7:30 p.m. flight back to Delhi. Turning to the audience with a wry smile, he remarked, “I can’t skip my duty for catching a flight, and friends, my recent past is proof of it.” The comment was widely interpreted as a veiled reference to his sudden departure from one of the country’s highest constitutional offices, which he had insisted was driven by an overriding sense of duty rather than political pressure.

Dhankhar lavished praise on Vaidya’s book, describing it as a powerful counter-narrative to decades of “propaganda” that has portrayed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as an ultra-right organisation and falsely linked it to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. He warned against getting trapped in what he called a modern “chakravyuh” of distorted narratives, stressing that once ensnared, escape becomes nearly impossible. Speaking of emerging global challenges—including information warfare and disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and machine learning—he urged India to draw strength from its civilisational heritage, calling the country’s ancient wisdom the “lighthouse” and “North Star” in turbulent times.

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The former Vice President, who was succeeded by C.P. Radhakrishnan after the September 2025 election, had maintained silence on public platforms since tendering his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu. Friday’s appearance in the presence of senior RSS leaders signalled both his continued ideological alignment and a gradual re-emergence into public life, even as the cryptic reference to “duty” reignited curiosity about the real reasons behind one of the most unexpected resignations in recent Indian constitutional history.

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