Rahul Gandhi dares PM Modi to open debate after Amit Shah's challenge to discuss SIR in Parliament

The Opposition leader's open challenge came in response to PM Modi's claims of ‘certain forces trying to divide the country.’

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to an open debate, accusing him of coming to power and remaining in office with "foreign support". The call came in response to PM Modi's claims of certain "forces trying to divide the country” after the Opposition staged a protest against alleged electoral irregularities at Ramlila Maidan on November 1.

The Opposition has staged massive protests in recent months over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. However, the Election Commission and the government have rejected the allegations. Earlier in the day, Union home minister Amit Shah challenged Rahul Gandhi to a debate on the issue in Parliament, saying the government was ready to convene a special session.

ALSO READ | Rahul Gandhi can only be PM in mock Parliament, says Amit Shah

Rahul alleges ‘foreign support’

The Congress leader has alleged that India's financial system was “controlled” and backed by foreign forces, while foreign social media platforms supported the Prime Minister. He challenged Modi to debate the allegations at any venue and time.

“Mr Modi, stop lying to this nation," Rahul Gandhi wrote on X. "You became PM because of foreign help. You remain PM because of foreign help. Your financial system is fully controlled and supported by foreigners. Foreign social media fully backs you.”

“I challenge you to an open debate about this. Any stage, any time. Come if you have the guts. You won't dare, because you are terrified of what I know about you,” he added.

The Opposition leader's open challenge came in response to Modi's comments at the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations at the Statue of Unity in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, on Monday. The event marked the birth anniversary of India's first home minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Addressing the gathering, Modi accused certain forces of trying to divide the country and using social media to spread rumours and damage India's image.

“Certain forces are continuously engaged in conspiracies to divide the country... After more than a decade of frustration and disappointment, these forces have now come out in the open,” the Prime Minister said, as per news agency ANI.

ALSO READ | Rahul Gandhi says Gyanesh Kumar will go to jail, warns BJP of ‘legal action over vote chori’

He also questioned the alleged links between these forces and groups abroad, asking who was meeting whom overseas and which anti-India forces were supporting them. Modi urged people to recognise such activities and confront them together.

The Prime Minister also criticised the Opposition, saying its role in a democracy was to question government policies but that it had instead become an obstructionist force.

“In a democracy, the responsibility of the Opposition is to oppose government policies, but it is our misfortune that the Opposition (virodh paksh) has become an obstructionist force (avrodh paksh),” he said, accusing it of creating hurdles in the country's development and undermining the Constitution.

Rahul Gandhi's Ramlila Maidan attack on Modi, Shah

On Sunday, Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders held a major protest at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan against alleged electoral irregularities and the SIR exercise. The 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao' rally on November 1 followed a march from the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction to Ramlila Maidan. Leaders of 21 Opposition parties participated in the mobilisation, demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and alleging large-scale deletion of voters from electoral rolls.

ALSO READ | '40% of Ramlila Maidan vacant': BJP mocks Rahul Gandhi over 10-lakh turnout claim

At the rally, Gandhi accused the Election Commission of facilitating vote theft and alleged that the BJP had benefited from manipulation of electoral rolls. He warned that Modi and home minister Amit Shah would face ‘legal action’ over the alleged irregularities after Kumar's removal.

The Congress leader described the CEC's removal as the first step towards restoring the country's democratic institutions. He also accused the Prime Minister and the home minister of being involved in the alleged electoral wrongdoing.

Other Opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, also addressed the gathering.