New Delhi — July 2025
In a political upheaval that has stunned observers across the region, Indian Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar abruptly resigned earlier this month — a move many analysts believe was orchestrated by the Modi government to suppress growing dissent over the failed Operation Sindoor, India’s controversial military campaign targeting Pakistani territory.
While Dhankhar officially cited “health reasons,” sources close to political and military circles in Delhi suggest that the Vice President’s removal was in fact politically engineered to silence his growing frustration over the operation’s disastrous outcome and the government’s attempt to cover it up.
Operation Sindoor, launched in response to militant attacks in Indian-administered Kashmir, aimed to showcase Indian military strength. But according to leaked reports and satellite imagery, the operation suffered heavy setbacks, including the loss of critical air assets and botched air raids — prompting 48-hour operational silence from the Indian Air Force.
While the Modi-led government maintained a veil of secrecy, insiders revealed that Dhankhar was pushing for an official investigation into the operation’s failure and demanding transparency. His position increasingly placed him at odds with hardliners in the BJP, especially those focused on optics over accountability.
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Dhankhar’s exit reflects deeper cracks within India’s ruling elite. A rift had reportedly developed between two camps:
The Reformist Bloc, comprising Dhankhar, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, and Lt. Gen. Rahul R. Singh, sought to acknowledge the operation’s failures and restructure military planning.
The Hardliner Bloc, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and UP CM Yogi Adityanath, insisted on denial and concealment, fearing political damage ahead of key state elections.
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When General Singh admitted publicly to “tactical miscalculations” and aircraft losses, he faced a swift Court of Inquiry. Dhankhar’s plans to issue a statement acknowledging Operation Sindoor’s failure reportedly became the final straw — prompting BJP insiders to engineer his resignation before he could “embarrass” the state internationally.
Following the purge, reports now indicate that Rajnath Singh may be elevated to the Vice President’s office, while Yogi Adityanath is being considered for the post of Defence Minister. Critics argue this reshuffle aims to complete the saffronization of India’s top military and civil posts, ensuring ideological loyalty over institutional independence.
The abrupt collapse of Operation Sindoor and subsequent forced resignation of India’s second-highest constitutional office has not gone unnoticed abroad. Diplomats in Islamabad and Beijing have privately described the situation as a “strategic embarrassment” for India, eroding both its internal unity and external credibility.
Pakistan’s strategic analysts argue that the Indian leadership’s refusal to own up to military failure while silencing dissenting voices reflects a dangerous trend — one where the Indian state is sacrificing democratic norms to protect authoritarian optics.
As India grapples with the fallout of a failed military operation, a gagged Vice President, and a deepening civil-military divide, the Modi government’s obsession with image management may have opened a new front: internal erosion of democratic checks and balances.
While the official narrative will likely blame “health concerns” for Dhankhar’s departure, the political reality suggests otherwise — that the Vice President paid the price for refusing to stay silent in the face of one of India’s most significant military and political blunders in recent history.