Rahul Gandhi used the word “resistance” at least half-a-dozen times in his quarter-hour speech at the INDIA bloc meeting here on Monday, while stressing that the Congress was committed to the grouping despite the odd criticism from the allies.

“Congress people will die but will not bow before the RSS,” one of those present at the meeting quoted the Lok Sabha leader of the Opposition.

Rajya Sabha Opposition leader and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced that the 22 parties and one Independent MLA (Kapil Sibal) who attended the meeting unanimously passed five resolutions:

 Write to the Chief Justice of India on the SIR disenfranchisement and electoral malpractices that the Congress calls “vote chori”.

 Demand the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan for the NEET and CBSE exam fiascos.

 Demand an all-party meeting on the economic situation, unemployment, price rise, farmers’ issues, various atrocities and people-centric issues.

 Convene meetings of the INDIA bloc every two months.

 Continue daily morning meetings when Parliament is in session.

“Vote chori was spoken about a lot, and everyone agreed we have to return to the ballot. No immediate plans on this were discussed,” a representative of a Congress ally told The Telegraph.

The representative added: “Rahulji said that even in Bengal he had warned Trinamool of vote chori, but they were confident of winning. ‘We had seen what had happened in Maharashtra.... It is no longer the old system of fair polls and transparency any more,’ he (Rahul) said.

“There was no talk of boycotting polls. We cannot cede that democratic space to the BJP as elections are the main democratic space that is left.”

Mamata Banerjee spoke of the post-poll violence in Bengal and the targeting of hawkers and slums by the state’s new BJP government. The split in her party was not discussed.

It was Mamata’s party that had pushed for the meeting to send out a message that the Opposition recognised her as leader of the Trinamool Congress — a label under risk of hijack by the breakaway faction — multiple INDIA leaders confirmed.

Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi embraced Mamata when the meeting began.

Several INDIA bloc members, however, expressed their disagreement with the manner in which the Congress had dumped the DMK after the Tamil Nadu poll results and tied up with the victorious TVK.

Sources said Rahul heard them out and said the Congress would think about it.

“Uddhav Thackeray praised the Cockroach Janta Party and said that one should not compare them with political parties. Rather, (Uddhav said), ‘We must ask why a new group gets so much support’,” a source said.

“Many leaders agreed that all expressions of dissent against the Modi government should be welcomed. The Congress leaders did not counter these points.”

CPIML Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya was quoted as saying: “We are lagging behind. Even in discussing the SIR, we need to address what is happening after the SIR — denial of rations, citizenship and detention camps. We can’t be late like the railways. Demonstrations like that of the CJP must be welcomed.”

Rahul attempted to placate hurt allies like the CPM saying that despite the acrimony in Kerala, the Congress is “committed to INDIA and will be there till the very end”.

The CPM and the CPI reiterated their objections to the Congress accusing them of having tied up with the BJP in Kerala.

One of those present quoted Rahul as saying: “My state unit briefed me and I said what I did based on the situation of that state.”

Jammu and Kashmir National Conference representative and chief minister Omar Abdullah advised the allies to tone down their rhetoric against the Congress.

Rahul is said to have responded that the Congress would continue to work for the grouping despite the critical remarks it faces from some allies.

Sources said Bharat Adivasi Party leader and MP Rajkumar Roat raised the issue of RSS-linked groups demanding that Christian and Muslim tribal communities be de-listed as Scheduled Tribes.

No questions were taken from the media, which was keen on grilling Mamata and her representatives on the Trinamool split.

Although the earlier plans of having a convener, national spokespersons and a secretariat came up during the discussions, nothing was agreed upon, sources said.

Supriya Sule, MP from the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), said the INDIA coalition was working as a cohesive unit in Maharashtra, with Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut functioning as alliance spokesman and constantly intervening in the public discourse.

The 20 parties that attended the meeting physically, apart from Sibal, included the Revolutionary Socialist Party, All India Forward Bloc, Peasants and Workers Party of India, Kerala Congress (Mani), Kerala Congress (Joseph), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party, J&K Peoples Democratic Party, Indian Union Muslim League, MDMK, VCK, and the Lok Dal.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader and chief minister Hemant Soren joined the discussions online.

Tamil Nadu chief minister C. Joseph Vijay’s TVK did not join the INDIA bloc on Monday. The DMK has alleged that the TVK wants to avoid confrontation with the BJP.

Posters with photos of INDIA bloc leaders and their earlier comments attacking the Congress came up across Lutyens Delhi on Sunday night, erected by unidentified people.