Trump, Op Sindoor: Congress seeks to rally INDIA bloc before stormy Monsoon session
However, the invitation may have come a little too late for everyone to attend. Sources say some allies have complained that the notice was too short. Others have suggested postponing the meeting to next week.Sources in Shiv Sena (UBT) said Uddhav Thackeray will not be able to attend Saturday's meeting in person. He has already informed the Congress leadership, citing prior scheduled engagements over the weekend.'They should have told us beforehand. We've asked the Congress to shift it to next week, or perhaps Uddhav ji could join via video conferencing,' a source said on condition of anonymity.Keeping an arm's length? Some parties are also distancing themselves from the INDIA bloc altogether. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have kept away from this outreach.The Congress and AAP have had strained ties since the Delhi assembly elections, and the relationship has further deteriorated. AAP leader Sanjay Singh appeared unaware of the meeting.'I have no idea about any such meeting. The AAP has its own list of issues, including Operation Sindoor, bulldozer politics in Delhi, schools being shut down in Uttar Pradesh, the Air India crash, and other burning topics we plan to highlight,' he said in a phone conversation.He reiterated that the INDIA bloc was formed only for the Lok Sabha elections and that AAP is not officially part of it. The sentiment seems mutual, as AAP has reportedly received no communication from Congress regarding the meeting.TMC, too, seems unlikely to attend. Sources in the party said that preparations for Martyrs' Day on July 21 are underway, and MPs will only join the monsoon session on July 22.Common issues to unite?Despite the setbacks, Congress remains confident that some key issues could still serve as rallying points for opposition unity.One major topic will be former US President Donald Trump's comments against India over Operation Sindoor, which Congress plans to link to the Modi government's foreign policy failures.Another issue Congress believes can bring the opposition together is the alleged irregularities in the Bihar caste survey. Congress hopes to connect the dots between voter list discrepancies in Haryana, Maharashtra, and Bihar — suggesting a broader voter data manipulation that could eventually affect West Bengal.advertisementCongress also expects the federal structure debate to resonate with regional parties. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has already written to the Prime Minister demanding full statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. The party believes this demand, paired with its campaign for restoring democratic rights in the region, could be a unifying cause.Other likely discussion points include atrocities against women in Odisha and other BJP-ruled states, and the recent Air India crash.- Ends
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