New Delhi, 08 June (H.S.):

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Monday that the opposition INDIA alliance reached consensus on five major issues during a meeting of its constituent parties that lasted for more than two hours. He said the alliance believes the Union Education Minister is responsible for irregularities related to the NEET-UG examination and CBSE processes and should resign immediately. The alliance also decided to write to the Chief Justice of India regarding concerns over electoral fairness and alleged vote theft.

The seventh meeting of the INDIA alliance was held at Constitution Club in New Delhi. Senior leaders present included Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, Supriya Sule, Kapil Sibal, Tejashwi Yadav, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti. Uddhav Thackeray and Hemant Soren joined the meeting virtually.

Five decisions announced by Kharge

1. The INDIA alliance will write to the Chief Justice of India regarding concerns over electoral fairness and alleged vote theft.

2. The alliance will demand the immediate resignation of the Education Minister over the NEET-UG and CBSE controversies.

3. The opposition will ask the government to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the economic situation, unemployment, inflation, farmers' issues and other public concerns.

4. Opposition parties will meet every two months, with the next meeting scheduled for August 8 in Hyderabad.

5. During the Monsoon Session of Parliament, opposition parties will maintain daily coordination meetings each morning.

Parties represented at the meeting

Leaders from 25 parties attended the meeting, including the Indian National Congress, Samajwadi Party, All India Trinamool Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Indian Union Muslim League, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Kerala Congress, Kerala Congress (M), Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, Bharat Adivasi Party, Lok Dal, All India Forward Bloc and Shetkari Kamgar Paksha.

Alliance changes over the past three years

Kharge noted that three parties have moved away from the INDIA alliance over the past three years. Janata Dal (United) distanced itself during the 2024 Lok Sabha election period, Aam Aadmi Party moved away during the Delhi and Haryana Assembly election cycle, and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has recently become less aligned with the alliance following political developments in Tamil Nadu.

The meeting was held against the backdrop of preparations for future elections and the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament, with opposition leaders seeking greater coordination on political, economic and institutional issues.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar