New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has renewed his challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an open debate, saying 24 hours had passed since his invitation without a response. Union Home Minister Amit Shah countered that the government was ready to discuss contentious issues in Parliament.
The fresh exchange has intensified the political confrontation between the BJP and Congress over foreign influence, India’s financial system, electoral processes and national security.
Debate Challenge
In a video shared on X on Tuesday, Gandhi asked Modi to choose any venue for a public debate, preferably before journalists and young people.
He even suggested that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, or anyone selected by the Prime Minister, could moderate the discussion.
Gandhi questioned the BJP’s allegations against the Opposition and demanded a debate on alleged foreign connections.
Financial Questions
The Congress leader raised questions about India’s financial system, the negotiation of a deal with the United States and the Cabinet’s alleged exclusion from the decision-making process.
He also referred to the Gautam Adani case and Jeffrey Epstein, seeking explanations from the Prime Minister.
These were allegations and questions raised by Gandhi, not independently established findings.
Gandhi claimed that he faced approximately 45 defamation cases but had not been sued over his allegations concerning foreign influence.
Youth Poll
Taking the confrontation to social media, Gandhi launched an X poll asking young Indians whether they wanted to witness a debate between him and Modi.
He also tagged senior BJP leaders, including Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Yogi Adityanath, urging them to persuade the Prime Minister to participate.
Shah Responds
Amit Shah rejected the Opposition’s criticism and challenged Gandhi to debate electoral issues inside Parliament.
The Home Minister said the government was prepared to convene a special parliamentary session to discuss electronic voting machines, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged illegal immigration.
During his Chhattisgarh visit, Shah also accused Congress of historically supporting Naxalism, an allegation directed at the Opposition party.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey separately offered to debate Congress representatives over documents and alleged foreign connections.
Political Background
The confrontation followed Modi’s October 31 address at the Statue of Unity, where he accused unnamed forces of spreading rumours and damaging India’s image.
Gandhi subsequently alleged that foreign support had helped Modi gain and retain power.
The exchange also followed the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally in Delhi, where Opposition leaders questioned the SIR exercise and accused the Election Commission of facilitating voter deletions.
With both sides proposing different debate forums, the political standoff remains unresolved.
