INDIA bloc to raise Pahalgam attack, Bihar voter list, Trump remarks in monsoon session

New Delhi: Ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning July 21, opposition parties under the INDIA bloc on Saturday pledged to take up a host of critical issue.

The issues are government of India’s alleged inaction following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims of mediating a ceasefire during past India-Pakistan tensions, and the contentious revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, which they say threatens voter rights.

Leaders from 24 opposition parties attended an online meeting to outline a common strategy for the session. Congress MP and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Pramod Tiwari, said the opposition expected Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be present in Parliament and respond to the concerns, noting, “Parliament is more important than foreign travel.”

The meeting, described as “successful and cordial,” saw participation from top leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Omar Abdullah, Hemant Soren, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Tejashwi Yadav, and Abhishek Banerjee, among others.

However, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), a founding member of the alliance, did not attend and has officially exited the grouping.

The leaders expressed alarm over the government’s silence and lack of progress in bringing to justice those responsible for the Pahalgam attack, calling it a national issue that impacts all 140 crore Indians.

“There has now even been an admission of intelligence failure,” Tiwari noted, adding that the opposition would also raise Operation Sindoor and Trump’s repeated assertions — reportedly 24 times — that he intervened to de-escalate India-Pakistan hostilities through trade pressure.

Concerns were also raised about the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. The opposition claims the process is a threat to voter rights and likened it to a “backdoor NRC.” Mamata Banerjee, according to sources quoted by PTI, accused the BJP and Election Commission of using “E2” — ED to target opposition leaders and EC to control voters.

Tiwari said the alliance would focus on eight major national issues, including what it described as foreign policy failures, atrocities in Gaza, delimitation concerns, and growing injustices faced by Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, women, and minorities.

Other matters expected to be raised include the Ahmedabad plane crash, rising unemployment, inflation, the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, and a push to impeach Justice Yashwant Varma after burnt currency notes were found at his residence following a fire. The opposition is also seeking action on a pending impeachment motion against Justice Shekhar Yadav over an alleged hate speech last year.

While the bloc aims to present a united front, key leaders like West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin were absent from the meeting.