BHOPAL: In his first public address since his surprise resignation as the country’s vice-president in July 2025, Jagdeep Dhankhar heaped praises on the RSS and made a cryptic reference to his recent past.
Addressing a gathering at an RSS event in Bhopal on Friday evening, the former vice president said, "I cannot skip my duty for catching the flight and friends. My recent past is proof of it."
He made the remark when a man approached him during the event and reminded him about the timing of his return flight to Delhi.
Dhankhar was the chief speaker at the launch of senior RSS leader Dr Manmohan Vaidya’s book Hum Aur Yeh Vishwa.
Praising the RSS, Dhankar said, “We live in an age where perception dictates everything, no matter how much you deny it. We are in the era of information warfare; god forbid anyone gets caught in the trap of narrative. Once one gets caught in this chakravyuh (trap), it's very difficult to get out. I’m not citing my own example.”
While criticising “RSS bashers” and praising the Sangh, Dhankhar claimed, “It (RSS) works for humanity and the world’s welfare. This book is an eye-opener and dismantles the long propaganda and continuously propagated myths portraying the RSS as ultra-right and anti-minority. They have even gone to the extent of linking it to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. The untenability of all this now stands fully exposed, but they are still sticking to it.”
“The book explains the concept of Rashtriya Dharm. The RSS, the most stabilising force in Bharat, works for humanity and global welfare. Dr Pranab Mukherjee, who adorned the office of President and was one of the tallest statesmen of his time, went to Nagpur on July 1, 2018...look at the level of criticism then, the extremity of criticism, crossing all bounds, calling it blasphemous. And Pranab Da, by just one sentence, put that controversy to rest when he visited the birthplace of Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar,” he said.
“He (Mukherjee) wrote...I quote one sentence... ‘Today I came here to pay my respect and homage to a great son of Mother India.’ Undoubtedly, what a powerful word he spoke,” Dhankhar added.
Earlier in the day, reacting to the absence of BJP leaders at Bhopal Airport to receive Dhankar, former chief minister and Congress MP Digvijaya Singh said, “For them (BJP leaders), only those are important who are useful to them. Use and throw is BJP’s hallmark. I can’t say about the RSS, as he (Dhankhar) has come for the Sangh’s programme only.”
“It is unfortunate that no government minister came to receive Jagdeep Dhankhar, who fought a one-sided battle for the BJP-RSS in the Upper House of Parliament, at the Bhopal airport. In a way, this is a blatant violation of VIP protocol. Ideally, the Chief Minister should have received him, especially since Dhankhar had come to attend an RSS event. The point remains: BJP leaders have a singular approach- use and throw, even if the person is an RSS follower,” Singh said in a post on X.
“The question is: the person whom the BJP appointed to the prestigious position of Vice-President cannot be ordinary. If Dhankhar was unworthy of that position, why was he appointed Vice-President? I had requested an appointment to meet the former vice-president to inquire about his well-being, but I have not yet received a response,” Singh added.