New Delhi, 8 June

Leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc met here on Monday and decided to write to the Chief Justice of India on the SIR exercise and “vote loot”, besides demanding the immediate resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-CBSE row.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said the opposition leaders also demanded that the Union government convene an all-party meeting to discuss the “precarious economic situation” in the country, unemployment, price rise, farmers’ issues and people-centric matters.

Kharge said the INDIA bloc leaders also decided to meet every two months, with the next meeting scheduled in Hyderabad for August, the date for which will be fixed later.

According to sources, leaders of 22 opposition parties, along with Independent MP Kapil Sibal, attended Monday’s meeting held at the Constitution Club here.

Earlier, Kharge had said that leaders of 25 opposition parties met on Monday.

Flanked by Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata Banerjee and other senior leaders of the grouping at the presser, Kharge said, “We have agreed on five issues. A letter will be sent to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) soon on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, ‘vote loot’ and ‘stealing of elections’.

“It was also unanimously agreed to demand the immediate resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan because he presided over the betrayal of lakhs of youth who appeared in NEET and CBSE," he said.

Also, the Centre should immediately call an all-party meeting to discuss the “precarious” economic situation, unemployment, price rise, farmers’ issues, and “atrocities” being committed on the oppressed sections, Kharge said.

“We are going to raise many people-centric issues, which all the parties have unanimously agreed to,” he said.

“It was agreed that we would meet every two months. The next meeting will be held in Hyderabad in August, the date for which will be fixed later.

“The opposition leaders also decided to continue coordination during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament, with daily morning meetings at the office of the leader of the opposition,” he said.

The Congress veteran also said that all the opposition leaders aired their views freely at the meeting, which Shiv Sena-UBT's Uddhav Thackeray and JMM's Hemant Soren joined virtually.

The meeting was held against the backdrop of differences emerging among some of the INDIA bloc constituents.

The leaders began the 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 Trinamool Congress and DMK in the recent Assembly polls in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, respectively.

Those in attendance included Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Kharge from the Congress, Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee from the Trinamool Congress, Akhilesh Yadav from the Samajwadi Party, Tejashwi Yadav from the RJD, Omar Abdullah from the National Conference and Mehbooba Mufti from the PDP, along with Left leaders.

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, while Uddhav Thackeray and Hemant Soren joined virtually.

The DMK and AAP were not part of the deliberations after having opted out of the opposition bloc. Tamil Nadu’s ruling party TVK also did not attend the meeting.

Sources said those who were part of the original INDIA bloc were invited for the meeting.