INDIA bloc seeks Education Minister's resignation, agrees on five-point agenda at Delhi meeting

The INDIA bloc on June 8 reached a consensus on five key issues at a meeting of opposition parties in New Delhi, including seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET and CBSE controversies and writing to the Chief Justice of India regarding concerns over electoral roll revisions.

The meeting, held at the Constitution Club, was attended by leaders from 25 opposition parties. Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the alliance had unanimously agreed to pursue five issues jointly in the coming months.

One of the key decisions was to send a letter to the Chief Justice of India over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and what opposition leaders described as concerns related to electoral irregularities. The alliance said the letter would be delivered to the CJI soon.

The bloc also unanimously demanded the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, alleging that repeated controversies surrounding NEET and CBSE examinations had undermined the confidence of students and their families. Opposition leaders said accountability must be fixed over examination-related issues that have affected lakhs of candidates.

Apart from education-related concerns, the alliance called on the Centre to convene an all-party meeting to discuss what it described as the country's "precarious economic situation", including unemployment, inflation, farmers' issues and concerns affecting economically weaker sections.

To strengthen coordination among member parties, the INDIA bloc also decided to hold meetings every two months. The next meeting is expected to take place in Hyderabad in August, with the date to be finalised later.

The alliance further agreed to continue coordinated floor management during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament. Opposition parties plan to hold regular strategy meetings to finalise their stand on key issues before parliamentary proceedings each day.

The meeting was the first formal gathering of the INDIA bloc in recent months and comes as opposition parties seek to present a united front on issues ranging from examination controversies and unemployment to electoral processes and economic concerns.