INDIA bloc parties discuss key issues ahead of monsoon session of Parliament

New Delhi [India], July 19 (ANI): Twenty-four members of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) today agreed on various key issues to be raised during the Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning Monday including the Pahalgam terror attack and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
A virtual meeting of the INDIA parties was held today, which was attended by leaders and representatives of INDIA parties.
They included Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Smt Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray.
The virtual meeting was also attended by Abhishek Banerjee (TMC), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Ramgopal Yadav (Samajwadi Party), MA Baby (CPI-M), D Raja (CPI) and Tiruchi Siva (DMK).
Briefing reporters the meeting, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said the INDIA group parties are also keen on discussion on India's foreign policy in the light of international developments.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should respond to concerns of members about Pahalgam terror attack and their queries concerning Operation Sindoor.
He also referred to repeated remarks of US President Donald Trump about brokering ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
Tiwari said that the members expressed concern over the repeated claims made by US President Donald Trump that he mediated the ceasefire between India and Pakistan. He said Trump has so far made the claims 24 times.
The Congress leader said that INDIA parties expressed their concern over SIR in Bihar. He said it was felt that there was an undeclared Emergency during which voters' names were being removed from the list.
"The meeting discussed issues related to people of the country that we will raise during the monsoon session. With everyone's consent, eight main issues have come up in the meeting - Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor, Trump's statement on ceasefire and trade, SIR (Special Intensive Revision) in Bihar, foreign policy, delimitation and issue of atrocities on Dalits, STs, women," Tiwari said.
He said that government's foreign policy stances require a lot of answers and there was concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
"Apart from all this, we will also seek answers on many other important issues including Ahmedabad plane accident," he added.
He said the online meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere and a physical meeting of the INDIA group will also be held shortly.
Tiwari said opposition parties want the Parliament to work smoothly and the government should answer their concerns.
India had launched precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK early on May 7 in response to Pahalgam terror attack. India subsequently repelled subsequent Pakistani aggression and pounded its airbases.
India and Pakistan agreed to cessation of hostilities after Pakistan DGMO called his Indian counterpart.
On its part, the government will also push its legislative agenda during the monsoon session which includes some new bills.
The bills on the agenda of the government include Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill of 2025, Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill of 2025, Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill 2025, the Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) bill 2025, the Geoheritage Sites and Geo-relics (Preservation and Maintenance) bill 2025, the Mines and Mines (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill 2025, the National Sports Governance Bill 2025 and the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill 2025.
The agenda of the government also includes Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2024, the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024, the Indian Ports Bill, 2025, and the Income Tax Bill, 2025.
The monsoon session of Parliament will continue till August 21.
As part of its ongoing efforts to modernise and digitise Parliamentary functioning, the Lok Sabha Secretariat has undertaken a number of initiatives under the guidance and leadership of the Lok Sabha Speaker to enhance transparency, inclusivity, and accessibility of Parliamentary processes for Members and the public alike.
To promote a digitally empowered working environment for Members of Parliament, the Lok Sabha Chamber has been equipped with dedicated multimedia conferencing devices at every seat. To save time and resources, a new feature has been added, allowing all members to mark attendance through the MMD (Multi-Media Device) installed at their respective seats. This will reduce one stage and save time of members on every day basis.
In a significant step towards linguistic inclusivity and citizen engagement, the Lok Sabha Secretariat is now publishing daily Parliamentary business and agenda papers in 12 languages using AI-based tools -- Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu. These documents are made available in real-time through the Digital Sansad portal (https://sansad.in), enabling wider access and better understanding of legislative proceedings for Members of Parliament as well as citizens across the country. (ANI)