Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Saturday said he had heard of the movie Laapataa Ladies but never of a “laapataa (absent) vice president,” as he questioned the whereabouts of former VP Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Sibal urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to clarify Dhankhar’s location to ease concerns over his health and well-being.
In a sudden move, Dhankhar resigned as vice president on July 21, the first day of the Monsoon session of Parliament, citing health reasons. Opposition leaders, however, claimed he was forced to step down.
“On July 22, Jagdeep Dhankhar, our vice president, resigned, and it is August 9 today, and since that day, we just do not know where he is. He is not in his official residence. On the first day, I tried to contact him, and his personal secretary picked up the phone and said he is resting,” Sibal said.
The Independent MP added that several of his political colleagues have also been unable to reach him.
“So, I have heard of Laapataa Ladies, but I have never heard of a ‘laapataa vice president,’” the former law minister remarked, referring to the Kiran Rao-directed film, India’s official entry to the Oscars.
Dhankhar, who supported the government throughout his tenure as vice president, now appears to require protection from the opposition, Sibal quipped, taking a subtle dig at the government.
“What should we do? Should we file a habeas corpus?” Sibal asked.
He emphasized that the Home Ministry must know Dhankhar’s whereabouts and make it public, given concerns about his health.
“Is he receiving treatment somewhere? His family hasn’t said anything. What is the situation? We usually hear about such incidents in other countries, but India is a democracy, so this should be in the public domain,” the former Congress member said.
“I had a very good personal relationship with him. He was a lawyer with me and argued many cases. I am concerned. It doesn’t look right that I might have to file an FIR. There’s no news from him, his friends, or family,” he added.
He appealed to the Home Minister, saying, “You have the resources—you send back Bangladeshis—but he was, after all, our vice president. Please give a statement on his whereabouts.”
In a post on X, Sibal, a senior Supreme Court advocate, wrote: “Can we be informed: Where is he? Is he safe? Why is he incommunicado? Amit Shah ji should know! He was our Vice President; the country should be worried!”
He noted that there is time before the vice presidential election in September and added, “We can meet him before that.” Sibal also remarked that such an incident has never occurred in India’s history.
Dhankhar, 74, had sent his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu last month, stepping down with immediate effect. He assumed office as vice president in August 2022, with his tenure originally set to end in 2027.
He was also the Rajya Sabha chairman, and his resignation came on the first day of the Monsoon session of Parliament. Dhankhar had recently undergone angioplasty at AIIMS, Delhi.
During his tenure as Rajya Sabha chairman, he had multiple confrontations with the Opposition, which had even moved a motion to impeach him—the first such attempt in independent India—later rejected by Deputy Chairman Harivansh. (Agencies)
