Parliament Monsoon Session: Congress-led INDIA bloc meets on July 19 — will TMC, AAP join? What’s on agenda?
The leaders of the Opposition INDIA bloc are all set to hold a meeting on Saturday, July 19, ahead of the monsoon session of the Parliament. Congress MP KC Venugopal said that a virtual meeting will take place at 7 pm on Saturday.
“A meeting of the leaders of the INDIA parties will be held online on Saturday, 19th July 2025, at 7.00 pm to discuss the prevailing political situation in the country,” Venugopal posted on X on Thursday.
Soon after the announcement, there were discussions whether leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) would participate in the meeting. Speculations were also rife about the agendas that are expected to be discussed in the meeting on Saturday.
Here’s all you need to know about the INDIA bloc’s meeting ahead of the Monsoon Session:
Will AAP, TMC leaders attend?
There has been no official confirmation yet. However, several reports claimed that two parties could miss the meeting, while some suggested on Friday that the TMC may attend.
The Indian Express cited sources as saying that the AAP has claimed it’s no longer part of the bloc, while the TMC has officially cited arrangements for an annual party event.
On the contrary, India Today reported that Mamata Banerjee’s TMC has confirmed it will participate in the meeting, but there is still uncertainty about the AAP’s involvement.
Why AAP, TMC may not attend INDIA bloc meeting?
According to reports, the “real reason” for the TMC not attending the meeting is the “messaging” to its cadre ahead of the West Bengal election.
A TMC MP told the Indian Express: “We can’t be sharing the stage too frequently with the Congress and the Left because we are up against them in our state where elections are due next year.”
“We support the [INDIA] alliance on national issues but that can’t mean we follow their cal…We don’t want to confuse our cadre. We will be with the alliance on issues in Parliament, but won’t be with them too frequently,” the MP was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, “We are not in the INDIA bloc anymore.”
Who’s attending, who’s not?
Sources in the Congress said almost all key leaders of the INDIA alliance have confirmed their attendance through video conferencing.
This includes leaders like Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray and DMK chief MK Stalin, India Today reported.
It added that either TMC chief Mamata Banerjee or leader Abhishek Banerjee is expected to attend the meeting online.
Leaders of the NCP (SP), the Left parties, RJD, JMM and IUML are also expected to attend the meeting on Saturday?
3. Top agendas of INDIA bloc meeting
During the online meeting on Saturday, the INDIA bloc leaders may discuss a range of issues that might be taken up during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
The discussion may include:
1. The Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Bihar
2. Impeachment of Justice Jaswant Varma
5. US President Donald Trump’s claim about a “US-brokered ceasefire” deal between India and Pakistan
6. Demand for restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s full statehood.
7. Ahmedabad Air India plane crash
8. Other issues may include woman’s safety, unemployment and farmer’s distress
The Monsoon Session of Parliament will be held from July 21 to August 21. The government is likely to call an all-party meeting on Sunday, July 20.
