PoliticsOpposition
'You don't show up in Parliament': Pawan Khera backs Rahul Gandhi's debate dare to Modi
The Congress leader said the Prime Minister had not held a press conference in 12 to 13 years. The BJP's Zafar Islam replied that Rahul Gandhi only makes allegations and leaves others to prove them.
Key points
- Pawan Khera said Narendra Modi had not held a press conference in 12-13 years.
- Rahul Gandhi has put up an X poll asking the youth if they want a Rahul vs Modi debate.
- BJP leader Zafar Islam said Rahul's only expertise lies in making allegations.
Congress leader Pawan Khera on Wednesday morning backed Rahul Gandhi’s dare to Narendra Modi for an open debate, accusing the Prime Minister of staying away from Parliament and from the press.
“You don’t show up in Parliament,” Khera said. “You are the Prime Minister in a democracy; questions will be asked, and you will have to provide answers.” He added that Modi had not held a single press conference in “12-13 years”, and said: “You are afraid to enter Parliament.”
Khera said the government spoke of religion rather than governance. Its focus, he said, had nothing to do with “fixing the economy, addressing the concerns of the youth, tackling unemployment, dealing with exam paper leaks, or ensuring the safety of women”. “If you ask them a question related to jobs, they start talking about ‘Islamic extremism’,” he said, before ending with a challenge of his own: “come, let’s have a debate.”
Rahul’s poll
Rahul Gandhi has taken the dare to social media. In a poll on X he asked: “Youth of India, do you want to see a Rahul Gandhi vs Narendra Modi open debate?” He offered two answers, “Yes - Modi Ji, Daro Mat” and “No - Modi Ji, Dar Gaye”, and tagged Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Yogi Adityanath, writing that they “always have the PM’s best interest in mind, please convince him to come”. He has also suggested RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat as the judge.
BJP’s reply
BJP leader Zafar Islam dismissed the challenge. “Anyone who understands Rahul Gandhi knows that his only expertise lies in making allegations,” he said. “He makes all sorts of accusations, but leaves the responsibility of proving them to someone else.”
He said Rahul had not accepted the Home Minister’s own challenge to debate, and claimed he was “going to America again in two days” to speak against the country. He also said the opposition’s recent rally had drawn only 10,000 people against a promised 10 lakh, and asked the Congress: “Did you let Priyanka Gandhi speak?”