Shah’s Debate Challenge to Rahul Gains BJP, JD(U) Backing

• Nirmala Sitharaman backs Amit Shah’s challenge to Rahul Gandhi.
• JD(U) asks the Congress leader to accept the Parliament debate offer.
• Congress demands the CEC’s resignation and suspension of SIR.
• Rahul Gandhi renews his challenge to PM Modi for a public debate.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 4th Nov: Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s debate challenge to Rahul Gandhi has drawn support from BJP leaders and allies, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the Janata Dal (United) urging the Congress leader to accept the offer and take up the issues in Parliament.

Sitharaman took a sharp swipe at Gandhi, pointing out that Parliament was already the appropriate venue for the debate he had been demanding from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In a post on X, the Finance Minister reminded Gandhi that Shah had offered to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

She questioned why Gandhi showed enthusiasm for issuing challenges on social media but not for debating issues inside Parliament. She also said that demanding answers came with an obligation to listen to them.

Sitharaman further urged Gandhi to bring facts, face scrutiny and uphold the standards of parliamentary debate he expected from others.

JD(U) national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad also called on Gandhi to accept Shah’s challenge, saying that anyone who believed in parliamentary democracy should raise their concerns in the House.

Prasad referred to the Supreme Court proceedings on petitions concerning the SIR exercise in Bihar, arguing that the court had recognised the Election Commission’s authority to conduct the revision in accordance with the law. He described Gandhi’s approach as anarchic if he lacked faith in parliamentary institutions and the judiciary.

Shah had issued the challenge during the BJP’s ‘Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy’ padayatra, saying the government was ready to convene a special session of Parliament to debate EVMs, SIR and other issues.

The Congress, however, rejected the offer, saying Shah should first ensure the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and suspend the SIR exercise if the government was serious about addressing its concerns.

Meanwhile, Gandhi renewed his challenge to Prime Minister Modi, saying the two could debate at any venue chosen by the Prime Minister. He proposed that the discussion focus on allegations of anti-national activities and alleged links with foreign forces.

Gandhi also suggested that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat could be appointed as the judge for the proposed debate.