NEW DELHI: In a political twist few saw coming, Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned as the Vice-President of India on Monday evening, citing health reasons, sparking speculation across party lines. His resignation letter, addressed to President Droupadi Murmu, mentioned “prioritising health care” as the reason for stepping down, effective immediately.But Congress leader Jairam Ramesh isn’t buying the simple explanation.“The sudden resignation of the Vice-President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is as shocking as it is inexplicable,” Jairam Ramesh posted on X. “I was with him alongside a number of other MPs till around 5 pm today and had spoken to him over the phone at 7:30 pm. Clearly, there is far more to this totally unexpected resignation than meets the eye.”Jairam Ramesh added that Dhankhar “took both the government and the opposition to task in equal measure” and was scheduled to chair a Business Advisory Committee meeting and announce “major decisions related to the judiciary” on Tuesday. He urged Dhankhar to reconsider and called on Prime Minister Modi to intervene, saying, “This will be in the nation’s interest.”Medical or political?Dhankhar, 74, had recently undergone angioplasty at AIIMS Delhi. His resignation came just as the Monsoon session of Parliament kicked off, a timing that many, including Jairam Ramesh, find curious.As Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Dhankhar had several confrontations with the Opposition, which had even moved an unprecedented motion to impeach him, a first in independent India. That motion was later rejected.Interestingly, his exit comes just a day after an Opposition-backed notice to remove Justice Yashwant Varma was submitted in the Rajya Sabha, a move Dhankhar had acknowledged in the House, reportedly catching the government off-guard.Rare exit mid-termDhankhar now joins V V Giri and R Venkataraman as the only Vice-Presidents in India’s history to resign before completing their term, though both of his predecessors quit to contest the presidential election. Dhankhar’s resignation, by contrast, has no such political ladder in sight.In his letter, Dhankhar thanked President Murmu, Prime Minister Modi, the council of ministers, and MPs for their support. He reflected on India’s “unprecedented development” during his tenure, calling it “a true honour” to serve during what he described as a “transformative era.”