The monsoon session of Parliament, set to begin on July 21, is expected to open under intense political heat, with the opposition INDIA bloc gearing up to confront the government on a raft of issues it claims are being mishandled or suppressed. Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and J.P. Nadda, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, Revolutionary Socialist Party MP N.K. Premachandran and others leave after attending the all-party meeting ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament, in New Delhi.(PTI)

From national security concerns to alleged electoral irregularities, the alliance plans to use the floor of the House to mount a coordinated offensive.

Restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, Pahalgam terror attack, US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims of brokering a ‘ceasefire’ between India and Pakistan, and alleged voter suppression in Bihar through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls are among the key issues that the INDIA bloc plans to raise during the session.

At an online meeting held on Saturday, leaders of 24 opposition parties finalised a joint strategy to corner the government over at least eight major issues, including alleged foreign policy failures, atrocities in Gaza, the delimitation process, and the rising incidence of crimes against SCs, STs, women, and minorities.

Opposition to raise Pahalgam attack, seeks PM’s reply

Congress MP and deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Pramod Tiwari, said the opposition would demand the prime minister’s presence in Parliament and urge him to respond to the issues raised.

“Parliament is more important than travelling abroad,” Tiwari told PTI.

Tiwari called the Pahalgam terror attack as “the biggest issue that concerns 140 crore people and is linked to the honour of all.”

“All leaders have expressed concern that all the terrorists behind the attack are free and no action has been taken against them despite so many days having passed since April 22. Now, a confession has also come that it was an intelligence failure. So this will be raised,” he added.

The bloc expressed deep concern over the electoral roll revision exercise in Bihar, which opposition parties allege is being misused to deprive marginalised communities of their voting rights.

“There is a threat to the voting rights of people under the ‘undeclared Emergency’ that is prevalent in the country,” Tiwari said, adding, “The manner in which vote-bandi is taking place in Bihar, after note-bandi, is against democracy.”

INDIA bloc to press for J&K statehood

CPI general secretary D Raja on Sunday said the INDIA bloc has are a number of other issues like one nation one poll, delimitation and restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, on which the opposition would try to corner the government.

CPI general secretary D Raja on Sunday told PTI Video that the INDIA bloc has a number of other issues, including ‘One Nation, One Poll’, delimitation, and the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, on which the opposition will seek to corner the government during the monsoon session.

The government on Sunday indicated its willingness to discuss Operation Sindoor in Parliament, even as the INDIA bloc demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi respond on the matter, as well as on US President Donald Trump’s ‘ceasefire’ claims and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.

Rajnath Singh likely to brief on Op Sindoor

Citing sources, PTI reported that the prime minister is unlikely to address these issues in Parliament. However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju asserted that the government would respond appropriately during any discussion on Trump’s remarks about mediating an India-Pakistan ceasefire.

The session is also expected to feature a detailed statement on Operation Sindoor by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who chaired two high-level meetings on Friday evening—one with ministerial colleagues and another with top military officials.