India's Opposition INDIA Alliance Holds Unity Meeting as BJP Launches Critique

After a two‑ to three‑year hiatus, the INDIA Alliance – a coalition of 23 opposition parties – convened in Delhi for a three‑hour session attended by senior leaders such as Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, D. Raja and others. The gathering produced a joint agenda focusing on education, unemployment, inflation, federalism and social justice, and committed to regular meetings every two months, with the next scheduled for 8 August in Hyderabad. The alliance also announced plans to seek the resignation of the education minister and to address alleged electoral irregularities through a SIR (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation) process. In response, BJP MP Sambit Patra condemned the meeting, mocking the opposition’s reduced stature and alleging repeated election losses, while targeting leaders such as Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav. The criticism highlighted the ruling party’s view that the opposition’s attempts at unity are ineffective.