New Delhi: Leaders of several Opposition parties Monday stressed unity within the INDIA bloc and called for the need to safeguard democratic values and address issues related to people’s livelihood as a key meeting of the grouping got underway Monday.
Several top leaders of the opposition alliance met here at the Constitution Club in the backdrop of differences emerging among some of its constituents.
Opposition leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress, Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress, Akhilesh Yadav of Samajwadi Party, Tejashwi Yadav of RJD, Omar Abdullah of National Conference and Mehbooba Mufti of PDP, besides Left leaders attended the meeting.
NCP(SP) leader Supriya Sule, CPI(M)’s John Brittas, CPI’s D Raja and leaders of some smaller parties were also part of the deliberations. Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Uddhav Thackeray attended the meeting virtually.
The DMK and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are not part of the deliberations as they have opted out of the bloc. TVK also did not attend the meeting. Sources said parties with MPs and those who were part of the original INDIA bloc were invited.
The leaders began deliberations to help forge unity and rework their strategy to take on the BJP, while ironing out differences within after the defeat of regional outfits like the TMC and DMK in the recent assembly polls.
The meeting also comes at a time when the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government completed 12 years in power in its third consecutive term.
Over 20 political parties are at the meeting amid a BJP surge in the country in the run-up to the next assembly election cycle in states and the 2029 Lok Sabha polls.
Addressing the meeting, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge urged leaders to strengthen unity to confront the political, economic, social and foreign policy challenges facing the country due to the Modi government’s misgovernance.
Kharge charged that the assault on the Constitution continues and probe agencies are persistently being used as tools to harass, intimidate, and bully political opponents.
He also highlighted that the economic environment is extremely negative and new investments are not coming in at the pace required to generate new jobs.
The Congress chief also pointed to the complete mismanagement of the examination system, which has dashed the hopes and aspirations of lakhs of youth.
Batting for unity among opposition leaders, he said, April 17, 2026, we demonstrated our unity and solidarity in the Lok Sabha in a very decisive manner, when we all came together firmly to defeat the Modi government’s malicious bills on delimitation.
Now we must strengthen that same spirit even further and move forward, so that we can confront the many political, economic, social, and foreign policy challenges facing the country due to the Modi government’s misgovernance, Kharge said at the start of the meeting.
The assault on the Constitution continues unabated. Investigative agencies are being persistently used as tools to harass, intimidate, and bully political opponents, he alleged, adding discrimination is being meted out against non-BJP governments.
Asked about the meeting agenda, Akhilesh Yadav said decisions would be taken collectively by alliance partners.
We will decide the agenda in the meeting, Yadav told reporters, adding that efforts would be made to move towards a bandhu rashtra. It was important to safeguard democratic values, he said.
CPI general secretary D Raja said the meeting was significant as it was being held after a considerable gap and at a time when constituent parties had several issues requiring discussion.
Leaders of Congress, SP, TMC, RJD, NC, PDP, JMM, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML), RSP, IUML, VCK, MDMK, Kerala Congress, Kerala Congress (M), RLP, BAP, Lok Dal, Forward Bloc and Shetkari Kamgar Paksh, and Independent MP Kapil Sibal gathered for the opposition huddle.
The BJP has slammed the INDIA bloc as a figment of imagination that lacks conviction on the ground, claiming there was an implosion within the opposition alliance, with disagreements involving the Congress and the DMK, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Left parties.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), too, has questioned the Congress’s intentions behind forging alliances with regional parties, it said.
The meeting comes after a long time as the last time they met was during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Gandhi had in August last year hosted opposition leaders at his residence that brought together nearly 50 leaders from over 25 opposition parties.
The INDIA bloc leadership has since then got together formally during consultations ahead of Parliament sessions, when opposition parties discussed floor coordination and issues to be jointly raised against the central government.
The recent defeat of Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal has also forced the opposition bloc to come together to take on the saffron surge in the country. The TMC is likely to raise the issue of alleged attacks on its leaders in Bengal and rally support of INDIA bloc parties.
The recent assembly elections have, however, also brought out differences within the opposition bloc, with the CPI(M) set to raise with the Congress the charge that the Left had a political understanding with the BJP in the Kerala polls.
The Left parties lost against the Congress-led UDF in the only state they were in power.
The last official meeting of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) was held in New Delhi June 1, 2024, just ahead of the Lok Sabha election. The INDIA bloc originally constituted over 25 parties.
