Rahul Gandhi reassures allies, says opposition will maintain close coordination on protest strategies

Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party National President Akhilesh Yadav during a protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence at Lok Kalyan Marg, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in New Delhi on July 21, 2026. Photo: @samajwadiparty X/ANI Photo

Opposition parties must step up pressure on the government inside and outside Parliament, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday (July 22, 2026), even as he assured all allies at an INDIA bloc meeting that the Congress believed in better coordination between them.

His remarks come a day after the Congress staged a dharna at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s doorstep, with several allies reportedly upset that they were not informed of the plan.

At a press conference later in the evening, when asked about the opposition’s future strategy and whether Parliament would function or not, Mr Gandhi said: “This is a decision for a meeting tomorrow morning. It is a meeting of opposition leaders, it is disrespectful for me to decide for them. What they decide, we will agree with them,” Gandhi said.

Out of the loop

Although several opposition parties were upset that they were not informed ahead of the Congress protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence on Tuesday (July 21, 2026), sources said none of them expressed their displeasure at the meeting on Wednesday (July 22, 2026); instead, several passed it privately to Congress. According to sources, Mr. Gandhi assured allies that this was not a deliberate move to keep them out of the loop; instead he said the decision was taken suddenly and could not be communicated in time.

Mr Gandhi, sources said, pointed out that the government was increasingly making parliament irrelevant by not allowing opposition MPs to speak. The opposition must adapt its strategy to the changed circumstances and go to the people, he said.

The meeting was poorly attended, although the protest that followed on the grounds of Parliament was well attended.

Change of plans

Sources said that on Tuesday (July 21, 2026), the Congress had initially invited several opposition leaders to come to party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence at 3 pm. Although this invitation was later rescinded, it was explained that there had been a change of plans.

The plans for the protest at the Prime Minister’s doorstep were kept secret and known only to four or five top Congress leaders. All Congress MPs were then asked to gather at Mr. Kharge’s residence at 10 Rajaji Marg at 3 pm for his 84th birthday and “cake cutting” ceremony. When Mr. Gandhi arrived there, he informed the assembled MPs that they would be marching to the back entrance of the Prime Minister’s residence, about 100 meters away. Without waiting for their answer, he set off on foot and the deputies followed him.

Allies in dharna

Around 5:00 PM, the Congress addressed another opposition leader. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav was quick to react. He arrived at the protest site and was detained along with Mr. Gandhi. Sources said many other leaders also tried to reach the protest site but could not reach there on time due to heavy traffic. One such leader was Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghosh.

Meanwhile, the left-wing MPs refused the invitation. According to sources, the Left leaders were upset because at the INDIA Bloc meeting on Monday morning, where many plans were being considered to take the protest outside Parliament, they were the ones who proposed a march to the Prime Minister’s residence.

Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule (Sharad Pawar) joined the protest at the Congress while her father Sharad Pawar visited the protesting students at Jantar Mantar. However, the two met Mr Modi on Wednesday morning, after which Ms Sule publicly and privately denied speculation that the NCP(SP) was supporting the government. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray also visited the students at Jantar Mantar.

Published – 22 Jul 2026 22:42 IST