New Delhi [India], November 4 (ANI): Amid the ongoing political row over Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an open debate, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari on Wednesday backed Gandhi, saying face-to-face discussions are a hallmark of democracy.
Tiwari further accused the Prime Minister of attending Parliament the least among his predecessors, urging him to take up the challenge.
“Where there is democracy, there are face-to-face discussions on various issues. Rahul Gandhi has said exactly that—let’s hold a discussion…As Prime Minister, Modi is the first Prime Minister of the country who has attended Parliament the least number of times… Come, let’s face each other; answer Rahul Gandhi’s questions, let Rahul Gandhi answer your questions, let there be a debate, and let the people of India decide, as happens in democratic countries,” Tiwari told ANI.
However, the challenge from Gandhi has led to a fierce counter-attack from the BJP and allies, highlighting that Parliament is the place for proper debate.
UP minister Om Prakash Rajbhar targeted Gandhi and the INDIA bloc over “mock impeachment” against Chief Election Commisioner Gyanesh Kumar.
“Rahul Gandhi staged a ‘mock’ parliament, and unfortunately, he couldn’t even become the Prime Minister there—they ended up making PM Modi the Prime Minister instead. He says all sorts of things; his words hold no significance. The Parliament already exists. The public elects representatives to engage in discussions within Parliament, so why are you all shying away from such discussions? Why are the opposition members running away? They ought to be participating in parliamentary debates. The government is prepared to discuss every issue, yet whenever the House is in session, these people walk out and dance around with containers on their heads,” he said.
Bihar BJP president Sanjay Saraogi called the challenge a “childish drama”, accusing him of “hypocrisy” and defaming the nation abroad.
“Respected Amit Shah ji has said, ‘Debate on SIR, I will call a special session of Parliament.’ But Rahul Gandhi is doing childish drama of debate on social media. People recognize his hypocrisy—someone who runs away from parliamentary sessions, operates a shop of baseless accusations, and goes abroad to speak ill about India. When the public dusts you in elections repeatedly, you wander around distributing challenges on Twitter,” he said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier challenged Gandhi to take the debate to Parliament.
“Congress party has consistently supported unconstitutional governments and parallel parliaments… they also mocked the actual Parliament by setting up a mock parliament and staging a charade of debate. I want to tell you, Rahul Gandhi, that the Narendra Modi government is prepared to discuss every single issue. We are ready to convene a special session to hold discussions on SIR… you have brought Parliament to a standstill—you have effectively held it hostage. Now, allow Parliament to function and engage in a proper debate. The people of this country will then see for themselves who is speaking the truth and who is not,” Shah said.
BJP leader Ram Kadam said Parliament was the most sacred forum for debate in a democracy.
“He himself is a member of Parliament. And under the Constitution, in a democracy, Parliament is the most sacred forum for debate. Do they want to do drama in front of the media? Or do they actually want to debate? And if they want to debate, no one can be above the Parliament,” Kadam said.
Echoing similar sentiments, JDU’s Rajeev Ranjan said Gandhi should raise his questions in Parliament.
“If Rahul has faith in democracy, democratic values, and parliamentary democracy, then why is he talking this way and that way? If there is any major question in his mind, the appropriate forum for it is the Parliament, and as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, his responsibility is also significant,” he said.
“Instead of challenging the Prime Minister to a debate on every issue, if he debates with any leader of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), I feel he will surely get a satisfactory answer from the NDA side regarding whatever he wants to say,” he added.
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.”(ANI)
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