New Delhi, July 19 (IANS) In a display of unity, top leaders from the INDIA bloc held a virtual meeting on Saturday to build consensus on critical issues for the upcoming Monsoon session of Parliament, slated to begin on Monday.
With participation from 24 parties—including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar, CPI(ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya—the opposition indicated a formidable challenge to the government by aligning on a sharper, unified agenda.
At the heart of the discussion were eight pressing matters the bloc intends to spotlight in Parliament. These include the terror attack in Pahalgam, the Operation Sindoor, and former US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that trade incentives halted the India-Pakistan conflict. A fresh battlefront has also emerged over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, which the opposition alleges amounts to “vote suppression” under the guise of administrative reform.
Foreign policy issues were also under scrutiny, with the opposition bloc poised to question the government’s stance on Pakistan, China, and the Gaza crisis. Equally significant are grievances related to delimitation orders and what the opposition terms a surge in atrocities against Dalits, backward classes, tribals, women, and minorities. Moreover, parliamentarians plan to seek answers on other matters, including the Ahmedabad plane crash.
“Whether party presidents or senior leaders, all 24 INDIA alliance parties engaged in this critical virtual meet,” said Congress MP and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Pramod Tiwari. “We have finalised eight major issues to challenge the government on, believing firmly in democratic debate and accountability.”
Tiwari emphasised the gravity of certain issues: “The Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor touch the pride and dignity of our 144 crore people. Terrorists remain at large, and we must question the intelligence failure.” On foreign policy, he added, “Where is the Prime Minister’s leadership on Pakistan, China, Gaza? If we treat these as key national issues, the PM must answer in Parliament.”
The opposition has also slammed the SIR-led voter roll revisions in Bihar. Tiwari argued this is tantamount to an “undeclared emergency,” suggesting that the removal of “non-BJP-aligned” voters and addition of favourable ones amounts to a deliberate manipulation. He vowed to treat it as “a threat to democracy.” On delimitation reform, “Some alliance members have proposed ideas; we’ll debate that too,” he noted.
Addressing questions over the absence of senior leaders like Akhilesh Yadav (SP), Mamata Banerjee (TMC), and MK Stalin (DMK), Pramod Tiwari clarified that Abhishek Banerjee represented the TMC, Ramgopal Yadav attended on behalf of the SP, and a senior leader participated from the DMK. “They are all responsible leaders of their respective parties, and their presence reflects full commitment. It should not be seen as a lack of seriousness,” he said. He also confirmed that Sharad Pawar represented the NCP (SP) at the meeting. “Such high-level virtual participation is rare and cannot be deemed as a lack of unity within the bloc,” he added.
Regarding the ED’s chargesheet against Robert Vadra and the BJP’s preparation to raise it, Tiwari was firm: “We aren’t distracted by their rhetoric. Where corruption is involved in any of our issues, we will speak against it—including voter roll manipulation.” When asked whether the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) remains part of the bloc, he reaffirmed, “All 24 alliance members participated in today’s meeting.”
As the Monsoon Session approaches, the INDIA bloc appears determined to challenge the government across a wide range of fronts—National security, electoral integrity, foreign affairs, and social justice.
–IANS
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