VK News Today https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html . NEW DELHI: Amid political marginalisation of its key pillars and accumulating grievances against the BJP government, opposition parties will gather on Monday for a brainstorming on the road ahead — the first such meeting beyond parliamentary coordination since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.The meeting coincides with PM Narendra Modi completing his third term in office, and amid growing dissonance among anti-BJP parties since the latest round of assembly polls.DMK has distanced itself from the bloc after criticising Congress’s crossing over to Vijay’s TVK, while CPM is publicly slamming Congress for its Kerala campaign of accusing just-ousted Left CM Pinarayi Vijayan of being in cahoots with BJP. CPM general secretary MA Baby has written a strongly worded letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, accusing Congress of crossing the line and asking him to “clear the air”.Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh announced that 23 parties have confirmed their participation in the meeting to be held at the Constitution Club. He added that some parties have expressed their inability to attend “this particular meeting for their own reasons”, but they have “conveyed their strong opposition to Modi government’s policies…” — a remark seeming to allude to DMK while suggesting that the opposition still hopes that the Dravidian outfit would return to the fold in the future.Sources said the meeting has been convened at the demand of TMC, which is facing an existential crisis with large-scale defections in favour of BJP in the West Bengal assembly and a looming split in its parliamentary party. The party will be represented by its leadership — Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee.While there is no love lost between Mamata and the INDIA bloc, the former CM’s plea for the meeting is widely viewed as a call for help. After the BJP swept away the governing TMC in Bengal, Rahul Gandhi urged a stop to rejoicing from Congress and other opposition parties who had faced TMC’s ire in the past, arguing it was time to move beyond personal animosity and focus on the “threat to democracy” posed by the BJP’s politics.The discussions may focus on EC’s SIR of electoral rolls in Bengal, which Rahul and TMC have blamed for the poll outcome. Other issues of the opposition are also likely to come up, as the parties try to hammer out a strategy for the road ahead.But blame games based on intra-INDIA bloc differences could make the exchanges acrimonious, given that Congress is in the crosshairs of some players.DMK-TMC’s ouster from power in May polls has destroyed two big islands of support for the opposition. BJP gaining a firm footing in Bengal poses a serious threat to the marginalised opposition as the state sends 42 MPs to Lok Sabha, which will be critical in the outcome of the 2029 general elections. Tamil Nadu holds out hope as DMK vanquisher TVK is aligned with the bloc’s parties in the state.Besides, the substantial parliamentary contingent of the two parties has been critical to the opposition’s efficacy in LS and RS.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosAAP Rules Out Tie-Up With Cong, DMK Boycotts INDIA Bloc MeetingHundreds Of Nurses Face Visa, Uncertainty After Dubai Hospital Closure; Kerala CM Writes To PM ModiRitabrata Banerjee Questions Abhishek’s Leadership Style, Raises Chartered Flight IssueIndia, Indonesia Deepen Strategic Partnership At High-Level Talks In New DelhiFire Breaks Out In Delhi’s New Friends Colony,8 Rescued As Firefighters Battle Smoke-Filled BuildingTMC Faces Fresh Crisis As Mamata Heads To Delhi Amid Reports Of Possible MP RebellionIndia-Bangladesh Border Tension Eases As BSF Says Stranded Bangladeshi Nationals Returned’Ghost Demolition’ In Surat: More Than 100 Homes Razed, Civic Body Denies Ordering ActionCockroach Janta Party Escalates Protest, Gives 7-Day Ultimatum Over Dharmendra Pradhan DemandWest Bengal Launches Statewide Madrasa Survey, Seeks Data On Legal Status, Infrastructure And Staff123PhotostoriesHow often should you really wash your hair this summer?Most people ignore Fatty Liver until it’s too late: Liver transplant surgeon explains why weight loss could change everythingAre you shutting down your child’s curiosity? 4 ways parents unknowingly do so and better ways to respondOrdering at a restaurant, helping with directions, and more: 7 simple ways to build a child’s confidence5 beautiful flowering creepers that double up as living curtainsCancer before 50? 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NEW DELHI: In one of the most stringent examination-security exercises undertaken in recent years, all experts involved in setting, moderating and translating the NEET-UG 2026 retest question paper have been moved to a secure, undisclosed location and placed under strict isolation protocols, with authorities virtually eliminating external communication in the final stages of paper preparation.The “lockdown” will be in place till the end of the exam on June 21.The extraordinary arrangements are part of a sweeping overhaul of the examination security architecture following the paper leak controversy that forced cancellation of the NEET-UG, held in May, and trig-gered nationwide concern among more than 22 lakh candidates.Lockdown just the 1st layer of multi-tier security frameworkOfficials familiar with the preparations said paper setters, moderators, translators and other personnel associated with the confidential stages of question paper development are staying at a secured facility under supervision.Mobile phones, laptops and personal communication devices have been restricted, while access to the internet and outside contacts has been tightly controlled. Entry and exit are being monitored and documented, with only authorised personnel permitted access to the facility. Digital devices, including smartwatches, are kept out of bounds, they said.The “lockdown” of the paper-setting process forms the first layer of a multi-tier security framework put in place by the education ministry and National Testing Agency (NTA) ahead of the June 21 re-examination — to be conducted in pen-and-paper mode from 2 pm to 5.15 pm across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad.Officials said every stage of the examination cycle — from question paper development and translation to moderation, printing, packaging, storage, transportation and distribution — is now being subjected to enhanced oversight. The entire process has been compartmentalised to ensure that no single individual or group has access to the complete chain of operations.The transportation of question papers has emerged as another critical focus area. Govt has explored the use of Indian Air Force aircraft for secure movement of examination material across the country.In the digital domain, authorities are conducting “round-the-clock monitoring of social media platforms, messaging applications and online forums to identify fake question papers, misinformation campaigns and suspicious activity”.It is learnt that Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan has directed officials to ensure that every vulnerability identified in the earlier examination cycle is comprehensively addressed.About the AuthorManash Pratim GohainManash Pratim Gohain is a seasoned journalist with over two decades at The Times of India, where he has built a rich body of work spanning education policy, politics, and governance. Renowned for his incisive coverage of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, accreditation reforms, and skilling initiatives, he has also reported on student politics, urban policy, and social movements. His political reportage—both reflective and news-driven—adds depth to his writing, bridging policy with public impact. Through his 2,500 articles and related outlets, he has emerged as a trusted voice in national discourse, particularly in linking education reform to broader societal change.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosAAP Rules Out Tie-Up With Cong, DMK Boycotts INDIA Bloc MeetingHundreds Of Nurses Face Visa, Uncertainty After Dubai Hospital Closure; Kerala CM Writes To PM ModiRitabrata Banerjee Questions Abhishek’s Leadership Style, Raises Chartered Flight IssueIndia, Indonesia Deepen Strategic Partnership At High-Level Talks In New DelhiFire Breaks Out In Delhi’s New Friends Colony,8 Rescued As Firefighters Battle Smoke-Filled BuildingTMC Faces Fresh Crisis As Mamata Heads To Delhi Amid Reports Of Possible MP RebellionIndia-Bangladesh Border Tension Eases As BSF Says Stranded Bangladeshi Nationals Returned’Ghost Demolition’ In Surat: More Than 100 Homes Razed, Civic Body Denies Ordering ActionCockroach Janta Party Escalates Protest, Gives 7-Day Ultimatum Over Dharmendra Pradhan DemandWest Bengal Launches Statewide Madrasa Survey, Seeks Data On Legal Status, Infrastructure And Staff123PhotostoriesHow often should you really wash your hair this summer?Most people ignore Fatty Liver until it’s too late: Liver transplant surgeon explains why weight loss could change everythingAre you shutting down your child’s curiosity? 4 ways parents unknowingly do so and better ways to respondOrdering at a restaurant, helping with directions, and more: 7 simple ways to build a child’s confidence5 beautiful flowering creepers that double up as living curtainsCancer before 50? 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(Mahatma) Gandhiji has been President, Pandit Nehru, Motilal Nehru has been President, who hasn’t been, Sardar Patel has been party President, if Sonia Gandhi and the Congress were making me the Congress President, would I have refused?”He further alleged that a distorted narrative was created around his role in the leadership tussle.“The situation was so created, I think it was a big conspiracy. The observers arrived suddenly, and I got defamed,” he said.‘Wrong perception created about me’, says GehlotGehlot also said public perception about him continuing as chief minister while avoiding the top party post has stayed with him for years.“People think that Ashok Gehlot wanted to remain chief minister and did not want to become Congress President, so the revolt happened,” he said.“Even people close to me abroad, they also think the same that Ashok Gehlot wanted to remain chief minister, he orchestrated the revolt. How can I explain to them, I am explaining to you,” he added.‘I went and apologised’: Gehlot on internal crisisRecalling the 2022 Rajasthan political crisis, Gehlot said he had already tried to clarify his position before the party leadership.“I stayed quiet as I had to tell Soniaji that whether it was a revolt against Pilot or whatever, I don’t have anything (to do),” he said.He also referred to internal developments involving central observers sent by the party high command, including Ajay Maken and Kharge, who were tasked with resolving factional differences in Rajasthan.He added, “I was the leader of the legislative party, observers from AICC had come. Coming of AICC observers has significance. It was Kharge Sahab or Ajay Makenji and I couldn’t get the resolution passed.”Recalling 2022 Rajasthan political crisisThe remarks come nearly four years after the 2022 Rajasthan Congress turmoil, when factional tensions between Gehlot and then-deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot escalated during the party’s leadership transition process.According to ANI, the crisis deepened after a Congress legislative party meeting failed to reach consensus, following which a section of MLAs aligned with Gehlot reportedly submitted resignations to the Speaker.Gehlot loyalists had reportedly refused to hold a one-to-one meeting with observers, while rival camps pushed competing proposals over leadership selection.Ajay Maken had said after the meeting that the situation involved conflict of interest concerns, noting that proposals from some MLAs raised questions about leadership control if Gehlot became Congress president.He had also said, “We waited for more MLAs to come but they didn’t come. Now Mallikarjun Kharge and I are going to Delhi to submit our report to the Congress president.”The crisis eventually contributed to the shelving of immediate leadership changes in Rajasthan, while the party moved ahead with organisational elections later that year.Gehlot, in his latest remarks, also reiterated that he had conveyed regrets to the party leadership after the internal turmoil.”Although I had said at night to end the meeting for now and we would talk after calling another meeting tomorrow. That situation did not arise for us… so it… so that… didn’t happen… the resolution couldn’t be passed. I went and expressed my regrets before Madam, party has given me everything, this situation arose so I am apologising…,” he said.Sonia Gandhi served as interim Congress president at the time before Mallikarjun Kharge defeated Shashi Tharoor in the party presidential election.Gehlot’s fresh remarks are expected to revive discussions within the Congress over the handling of the 2022 transition and the continuing impact of factional divides in Rajasthan politics.About the AuthorTOI News DeskThe TOI News Desk comprises a dedicated and tireless team of journalists who operate around the clock to deliver the most current and comprehensive news and updates to the readers of The Times of India worldwide. With an unwavering commitment to excellence in journalism, our team is at the forefront of gathering, verifying, and presenting breaking news, in-depth analysis, and insightful reports on a wide range of topics. The TOI News Desk is your trusted source for staying informed and connected to the ever-evolving global landscape, ensuring that our readers are equipped with the latest developments that matter most.”Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosHundreds Of Nurses Face Visa, Uncertainty After Dubai Hospital Closure; Kerala CM Writes To PM ModiRitabrata Banerjee Questions Abhishek’s Leadership Style, Raises Chartered Flight IssueIndia, Indonesia Deepen Strategic Partnership At High-Level Talks In New DelhiFire Breaks Out In Delhi’s New Friends Colony,8 Rescued As Firefighters Battle Smoke-Filled BuildingTMC Faces Fresh Crisis As Mamata Heads To Delhi Amid Reports Of Possible MP RebellionIndia-Bangladesh Border Tension Eases As BSF Says Stranded Bangladeshi Nationals Returned’Ghost Demolition’ In Surat: More Than 100 Homes Razed, Civic Body Denies Ordering ActionCockroach Janta Party Escalates Protest, Gives 7-Day Ultimatum Over Dharmendra Pradhan DemandWest Bengal Launches Statewide Madrasa Survey, Seeks Data On Legal Status, Infrastructure And Staff‘Why Congress Tied India’s Fate To Dollar?’: Nishikant Dubey Attacks Congress123PhotostoriesOrdering at a restaurant, helping with directions, and more: 7 simple ways to build a child’s confidence5 beautiful flowering creepers that double up as living curtainsCancer before 50? 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