Opposition leaders objected to the Centre inviting the Nationalist Citizen Party of India to the all-party meeting before returning after a symbolic protest.
July 19, 2026: The Opposition on Sunday staged a symbolic walkout from the Centre’s all-party meeting convened ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, protesting the invitation extended to the Nationalist Citizen Party of India (NCPI). Senior leaders, including Congress’ Pramod Tiwari, Samajwadi Party’s Dharmendra Yadav, NCP (SP)’s Supriya Sule and Trinamool Congress’ Mahua Moitra, walked out after objecting to the participation of the NCPI, which was represented by former TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay. The leaders later returned to the meeting after addressing a joint press conference.
The government had called the meeting to brief political parties on its legislative agenda for the upcoming Parliament session, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh leading the discussions. Ahead of the meeting, Opposition parties said they would raise several issues during the Monsoon Session, including the alleged Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust donation scam, the NEET and other examination paper leak cases, delimitation, and the role of the Lok Sabha Speaker. Congress MP Pramod Tiwari alleged that the BJP had “betrayed Lord Ram” and said the alleged donation scam would be a key issue for the Opposition.
Speaking after the meeting, Mahua Moitra questioned why “rebel MPs” had been invited. Sudip Bandyopadhyay, attending as the NCPI leader, said he was representing a new political party and maintained that it remained committed to secular values and the Opposition’s role in Parliament. Responding to TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee’s appeal asking rebel MPs and MLAs to return to the party, Bandyopadhyay said each legislator would take their own decision.