INDIA bloc parties hold online meeting ahead of Parliament's monsoon session

INDIA bloc parties held a virtual meeting on Saturday to reach a consensus on issues that they would raise to corner the government during Parliament's monsoon session and convey a message of unity.

Over 20 political parties participated in the discussions, sources said.

The meeting comes right before the monsoon session, which begins on Monday. It is being held after a long gap since the INDIA bloc parties jointly deliberated the country's political situation.

The meeting is being attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, among others.

The leaders are set to deliberate on a host of key issues, including the Election Commission's special intensive revision of the electoral rolls in Bihar, the demand for a discussion on the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor.

US President Donald Trump's claims of bringing about a halt in hostilities between India and Pakistan, and the push to impeach Justice Yashwant Varma, who is embroiled in a row following the discovery of burnt wads of currency at his residence after a fire incident, are also likely to feature in the discussions.

During the Parliament session, the top Congress leadership has resolved to raise issues such as the demand for the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and rising atrocities against women in the country.

The opposition party has also decided to raise farmers' problems, the issues of rising unemployment, safety and security of the country and the Ahmedabad air crash during the session.

Sonia Gandhi had convened a meeting of the party's parliamentary strategy group at her 10, Janpath residence in New Delhi on 15 July evening.