INDIA bloc allies to meet in Delhi on Saturday; uncertainty over participation of TMC, AAP

New Delhi: A meeting of the organisational leaders of the INDIA bloc allies will be held in Delhi on Saturday to firm up a coordinated approach of the opposition on common issues -- including the Election Commission's methods, especially its special intensive revision (SIR ) of electoral rolls in Bihar, during the monsoon session of Parliament.

But soon after the Congress leadership took an initiative to organise the meeting, following the proposal of some allies, the shadow of possible non-participation of two key allies, All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) leader Mamata Banerjee and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief, fell on the event, according to people familiar with the matter.

The meeting, to be held at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence, will be the first meeting of the INDIA bloc organisational leaders after results of the last Lok Sabha election a year ago.


Some sections of the opposition are keeping an eye on Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis' renewed advances to Udhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena (UBT), within days of the Shiv Sena S-UBT signalling its disengagement from the opposition alliance in the Maharashtra civic polls. While it is not clear whether the "prior engagements" would allow Thackeray to reach Delhi to attend the INDA bloc meeting, efforts are said to be on to make him attend the meeting online. "The meeting of the INDIA bloc is going to be held in Delhi. Yesterday (Wednesday), we got a call from KC Venugopal Ji... Uddhav Thackeray Ji had said there is a need for a meeting of the INDIA bloc," SS-UBT leader Sanjay Raut said in Mumbai.

The AITC leadership, which has tense relations with the Congress brass and had stopped attending meetings of INDIA bloc floor leaders, has indicated Mamata Banerjee and her key colleagues "are fully engaged with the preparation" for the July 21 Martyrs Day event in Kolkata.

The AAP had further distanced itself from the Congress after its defeat in the Delhi assembly polls.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has confirmed his participation and others expected to attend the meeting include the leaders of the SP, DMK, NCP (SCP), Left parties and other members of the bloc.