Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], November 4 (ANI): The political face-off over Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an open debate escalated on Wednesday, with Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao accusing Gandhi of avoiding Parliament while seeking to debate on the street.
Speaking to ANI, Rao said Gandhi never attends Parliament or wants to discuss issues there, and asked whether the LoP was afraid to face the House.
“Rahul Gandhi, being the LoP, never attends Parliament and never wants to discuss any issue in the Parliament. At Hyderabad, Amit Shah challenged Rahul Gandhi to come on the floor of the Parliament and discuss about SIR and the allegations which he is making. But he doesn’t want to come into Parliament. And now he’s challenging PM Modi… This is something absurd,” Rao said.
Escalating his attack, Rao said, “Never in the history of Indian politics has such a leader of the opposition has been seen who wants to discuss something on the street but not in the House of the Parliament. Is he afraid to face the Parliament? We are asking the LoP of this country, who has also got some constitutional status: are you afraid to discuss issues in the House of the Parliament?” he added.
Echoing similar criticism, Telangana BJP spokesperson Prakash Reddy emphasised that debate can be done in the Parliament on any topic, urging Rahul Gandhi to keep the discussion within the constitutional framework.
“The Parliament of this country is for public debate; you can debate in the Parliament. You can challenge PM Modi’s allegations, whether it’s foreign funding or inspiration to do such movements in this country, against the CEC or against any system of any constitutional body of this country. Why do you want to bring the parliament to the streets? You always keep the constitution book in your hands and display it publicly. Instead of displaying it in your hands, you better discuss it within the constitutional framework in parliament. Parliament will answer; the Prime Minister will answer, the ministers will answer, and your other MPs can also speak,” he said.
This follows Rahul Gandhi’s intensified challenge to Prime Minister Modi for an open debate. He launched a poll on social media platform X asking young Indians whether they wanted to see the two leaders engage in a face-to-face discussion.
Gandhi tagged senior BJP leaders, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, urging them to convince the Prime Minister to accept.
“Youth of India, do you want to see a Rahul Gandhi vs Narendra Modi open debate? @rajnathsingh ji, @nitin_gadkari ji, @ChouhanShivraj ji, @myogiadityanath ji – you always have the PM’s best interest in mind, please convince him to come,” Gandhi posted.
The poll featured two options: “Yes – Modi Ji, Daro Mat” and “No – Modi Ji, Dar Gaye.”
Meanwhile, Congress leader Motha Rohit dared the BJP to bring the Prime Minister to an open debate.
“Rahul Gandhi has challenged PM Narendra Modi for an open debate on foreign funding, and CR Kesavan, BJP’s national spokesperson, is saying that Rahul Gandhi is lying and will be humiliated. I am calling CR Kesavan; call your Prime Minister for the open debate. Let us see who will get humiliated. You can choose a venue of your choice. You can choose a judge of your choice. You can also choose RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat as the judge. Let Rahul Gandhi and PM Modi come face to face in an open debate in front of the entire media, in front of the youth of this country, and we will see who is getting foreign funding and what are the sources of this foreign funding,” he said. (ANI)
Related reading
