New Delhi, March 8 (IANS) Shiv Sena-UBT’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut on Sunday expressed joy after meeting former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

The meeting came on the eve of a likely discussion in Lok Sabha on an Opposition resolution seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla over alleged bias and partisan approach against the opposition.

Without sharing any details about the agenda of the meeting with Dhankhar, the Shiv Sena-UBT leader uploaded pictures of their interaction on social media.

In a message on X, Raut wrote: “Had the honour of meeting former Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar Ji today. Enjoyed a wonderful conversation! It was a truly delightful and heartwarming meeting.”

The meeting came on the eve of a crucial sitting of the Lok Sabha in which it is likely to take up a resolution, moved by the Opposition, against Birla for alleged partisan conduct against the Opposition, during a fierce face-off in the Parliament over former Army chief General M.M. Naravane’s unpublished memoirs.

Birla is also likely to be present in the House on Monday, but is unlikely to chair the proceedings as he had vowed to recuse himself from the proceedings the day the Opposition moved a resolution against him.

The Sunday meeting with Raut was one of Dhankhar’s rare interactions with a politician after his sudden resignation from the constitutional post last year on July 21, citing health issues.

Before that, he had stayed away from public glare till the oath-taking of new Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan on September 12, 2025.

Soon after stepping down as the Vice President, Dhankhar had shifted to a farmhouse owned by prominent Jat leader and senior Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Chautala in the Gadaipur area of south Delhi’s Chhattarpur and stayed away from public eye for several months.

Last month, Dhankhar attended the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), where he formally launched “The Unbecoming”, a book authored by his son-in-law, lawyer Kartikeya Vajpai.

–IANS

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