New Delhi/Alive News: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has once again challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to an open debate, this time directly tagging CRPF personnel in a post on X. This is the sixth time in the past eight days that Gandhi has challenged the Prime Minister to a debate.
In his post, Gandhi referred to Modi’s remarks about ‘Naxalites’ and questioned who was acting against the country’s interests.
Addressing CRPF personnel, Gandhi wrote that their expressions showed they did not believe the Prime Minister’s statements. He challenged Modi to debate him on who was anti-national and who was acting at the behest of foreign powers. Gandhi said the debate could take place at any time and any location. He further claimed that Modi would not have the courage to face even a single soldier after the debate.
Modi Warns Against ‘Intellectual Naxalism’
The controversy follows Modi’s address to security personnel during his Diwali visit to Bastar in Chhattisgarh. He said this was the first Diwali in which every district in the country was free from Naxalism.
However, he warned that the threat had not completely disappeared. According to Modi, armed Naxalites had been eliminated from forests, but ‘Dimagi Naxals’ (intellectual Naxalites) continued to pose a threat. He alleged that such elements had entered political organisations and were working against the Constitution and democracy.
BJP and Congress Differ on Debate
The BJP argues that Rahul Gandhi is not a prime ministerial candidate and should raise issues in Parliament instead. Congress, meanwhile, alleges that Modi avoids parliamentary discussions and has never held an open press conference.
No Indian Prime Minister has so far participated in a US-style public debate with an opposition leader.
Nishikant Dubey Responds to Rahul Gandhi
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey responded to Gandhi’s challenge by sharing an old news report quoting former Union Home Minister and Congress leader P. Chidambaram. In 2011, Chidambaram had described Left-wing extremism as India’s ‘most violent movement’.
