All parties meeting: MPs seek debate on curbing NEET leak, temple theft, E20

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, Lok Sabha MP LoP and Congress MP Gaurav and others attend an all-party meeting at the Center ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament in New Delhi on July 19, 2026. | Photo credit: ANI

An invitation extended by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to a splinter group of the Trinamool Congress prompted opposition parties to walk out of an all-party meeting held on Sunday (July 19, 2026) ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament.

The protest brought together parties that were often at odds, including the DMK; the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which skipped the June 8 INDIA block meeting; and Left parties that are ideologically opposed to the Trinamool. They protested the government’s decision to invite rebel Trinamool MPs, saying Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had not yet acknowledged the group’s claim that it had merged with the Tripura-based Nationalist Civic Party of India (NCPI).

The opposition’s walkout took a while before the leaders returned to the meeting and pressed for a discussion on a number of issues, including the alleged theft of donations from the Ram temple, the NEET paper leak controversy, ethanol-laced petrol (E20), Delhi Police’s action at Jantar Mantar to move protesting activist Sonam Wangchuk from the side of students demanding the resignation of the Dhandhan education situation in Manipur.

#WATCH | Delhi: An all-party meeting is underway at the Parliamentary Annex building ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament which begins tomorrow, July 20. pic.twitter.com/oZwogND8bU

— ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2026

Mr Rijiju later said the strike “should not be seen as a boycott of the day-long meeting; it was symbolic”.

In his opening address, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, who chaired the meeting, praised the BJP government for handling the ongoing crisis triggered by the US-Iran standoff.

All opposition parties walked out of the All-Party meeting for a few minutes. It was a show of protest against the Modi government’s decision to invite the NCPI, a parking lot for 20 so-called ‘rebel’ TMC MPs, as the final decision is still pending on…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 19, 2026

Delimitation Act

Several opposition leaders sought to clarify reports that the government might revive the delimitation bill in view of changes in the composition of the Lok Sabha following the Trinamool-Shiv Sena (UBT) split.

DMK leader Tiruchi Siva reiterated that his party supports women’s reservation but wants clarity on the demarcation. He said the DMK favors introducing 33% reservation for women in the existing Lok Sabha strength and insists that any delimitation exercise should not adversely affect southern states. “If it affects the southern states, it should be suspended for 25 years,” he said.

Rijiju’s challenge

Mr. Rijiju did not make it clear whether the government would bring back the delimitation bill during the session, but said the matter would be discussed in the Trade Advisory Committee meeting. He called on all parties to participate constructively in parliamentary discussions and support legislative activity. According to him, the smooth functioning of the Parliament is in the national interest, while the disruption and promotion of slogans ended up hurting both the Parliament and the opposition.

Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra questioned the reasons for inviting 20 rebel MPs. Stating that petitions to disqualify the rebels are pending, she said there is no constitutional basis for a separate bloc.

Defending the invitation, Mr. Rijiju said the breakaway Trinamool group had sought recognition from the Speaker and the government could not ignore it. He said it was the government’s duty to invite all stakeholders.

Among other demands, Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav sought a discussion on the alleged theft of donations from the Ram temple and Mr. Wangchuk’s hunger strike. CPI(M) leader John Brittas criticized what he described as a rift in opposition parties created by the BJP, saying they were weakening democratic representation. Referring to Mr. Singh’s opening remarks where he spoke about the power of democracy, Mr. Brittas said, “If the government believes in democracy, I would suggest that the defense minister visit the protesting students at Jantar Mantar. They are not our enemies,” he added.

CPI Rajya Sabha leader P. Sandosh Kumar also sought a discussion on the “large-scale erasures” of voters’ names during the Special Intensive Review (SIR), the “growing threat” of political defections, price hikes and the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

A total of 58 leaders from 40 political parties took part in the meeting. The Monsoon Session starts on Monday and ends on August 13.

Published – 19 Jul 2026 12:38 IST