Published Jun 08, 2026 | 10:32 AM ⚊ Updated Jun 08, 2026 | 10:48 AM
File photo of Opposition bloc INDIA meeting in Mumbai
Synopsis: A meeting of the Opposition INDIA bloc will be held in New Delhi, with the Congress confirming the attendance of 23 parties. Reports said the meeting is expected to discuss several issues, including alleged electoral malpractices, the CBSE and NEET rows, and how to counter the BJP.
A meeting of the Opposition INDIA bloc will be held at the Constitution Club, New Delhi, on Monday, 8 June, with the Congress confirming the attendance of 23 parties.
Earlier, the DMK had said that it would not attend the meeting, terming the Congress’s alliance with the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in Tamil Nadu as a “betrayal” of the alliance agreement.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) sources said its General Secretary MA Baby would not be attending the meeting “in protest” against Congress leaders accusing the Left party of compromising with the BJP. However, the party is likely to send Rajya Sabha floor leader John Brittas for the meeting.
Also Read: DMK to skip INDIA bloc meeting in Delhi citing Congress ‘betrayal’ after Tamil Nadu polls
Reports said the meeting is expected to discuss several issues, including alleged electoral malpractices, the CBSE and NEET rows, and how to counter the BJP, which is trying to capitalise on the cracks in the Opposition and the electoral debacle of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, confirming the presence of 23 political parties, said although some other parties would not be attending the meeting, they have conveyed their opposition to the Modi government’s policies. It is seen as an apparent reference to the DMK’s participation and its involvement in the Opposition alliance.
“There are some parties who have expressed their inability to attend this particular meeting for their own reasons – even though they have conveyed their strong opposition to the Modi Govt’s policies and actions that are snatching away the right to vote for millions of Indians, assaulting the Constitution daily, attacking Opposition leaders through investigative agencies, seriously damaging the livelihoods of crores of Indians, breaking household budgets through relentless price rise, betraying the hopes and aspirations of lakhs of youth, dampening investment climate, and compromising the national interest by its foreign policy,” Ramesh said in a post on X.
“Like India, the INDIA janbandhan continues to stand united through its diversity,” he added.
While the participation of 23 parties is confirmed, it is not clear which parties will be attending the meeting. While there are reports that an invitation has been extended to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay-led TVK, it is not clear whether the party would be present for the meeting.
