Cong chief Kharge to host maiden INDIA meet at RS office on Thursday

The first meeting of the 26-party Opposition alliance will be held on Thursday at Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge’s office, said party sources.

According to the sources, the meeting will be held at 10 am on Thursday in the chamber of Rajya Sabha LoP.

Meanwhile, the business advisory committee meeting of the Rajya Sabha will also be held on Thursday in Parliament.

The 26-party opposition alliance was termed India National Developmental Inclusive Alliance or I.N.D.I.A during the second joint opposition meeting held in Karnataka’s Bengaluru on July 18.

Mallikarjun Kharge, president of the main opposition Congress party, said INDIA stood for the "Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance".

The Opposition parties met to chalk out a strategy to put out a united front to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.

The 26 parties resolved to “safeguard the idea of India as enshrined in the Constitution”.

Leaders of twenty-six opposition parties, who met in Bengaluru on Tuesday, accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of systematically assaulting the “character of our republic” and expressed their steadfast resolve to “safeguard the idea of India”.

The Samuhik Sankalp of 26 political parties belonging to INDIA alleged that the pillars of the Indian Constitution “are being methodically and menacingly undermined”.

The leaders decided to have a new name for the group INDIA - India National Developmental Inclusive Alliance.

“We, the leaders of India’s 26 progressive parties, express our steadfast resolve to safeguard the idea of India as enshrined in the Constitution. The character of our republic is being severely assaulted in a systematic manner by the BJP. We are at a most crucial juncture in our nation’s history. The foundational pillars of the Indian Constitution – secular democracy, economic sovereignty, social justice and federalism – are being methodically and menacingly undermined,” the Samuhik Sankalp statement said.

The opposition leaders alleged that BJP was “brazenly misusing agencies” against political rivals and was undermining democracy.

They expressed grave concern over the humanitarian tragedy that has "destroyed Manipur".

The Monsoon Session of Parliament will commence on Thursday and will be conducted till August 11 and will have 17 sittings.

Almost all the parties including the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Bharat Rashtra Smithi, Samajwadi Party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal United-JDU, Dravina Munnetra Kazhagam, CPI-M, CPI, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Indian Union Muslim League and Shiromani Akali Dal shared their plan while speaking to media followed by an all-party meeting called by the government in the Parliament premises. A total of 34 parties and 44 leaders participated in the discussion.