Rahul Gandhi renews debate challenge to PM Modi, vows to prove 'anti-national' claim in 5 minutes

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday renewed his challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an open debate on Mr Modi’s charge that the Congress is “anti-national”, saying he could prove within five minutes that the label fitted the Prime Minister instead.

Addressing an “Insaaf Rally” in Punjab, where the Congress launched its campaign for Assembly elections due early next year, Mr Gandhi said the Prime Minister should sit across from him and argue the charge in public. “Come anywhere, sit with me and debate. I will prove within five minutes that Modi is anti-national,” he said.

The remarks came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the government was willing to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and challenged the opposition to join the debate. Mr Gandhi dismissed the offer, saying the opposition was not allowed to speak in Parliament. “They say have a discussion in Parliament, but you switch off my mic; you don’t let me speak…” he said.

Mr Gandhi said he had issued the debate challenge directly to Mr Modi and that the Prime Minister could choose the venue and even the judge. He said the debate could be held in any television studio, naming NDTV, and suggested that even RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat or industrialist Gautam Adani could be invited to judge it. “It won’t matter. You just come and sit in front of me, and then let’s talk about who’s anti-national,” he said.

He claimed that Mr Modi would not accept the challenge. “But I can tell the country – Modi cannot come and sit in front of me. His leaders are saying, ‘let’s discuss in Parliament’, but you switch off my mic there. You just don’t let me speak in Parliament,” he said. “If you make him sit in front of me, I am guaranteeing you, I will prove that Narendra Modi is anti-national in five minutes. I will prove that Donald Trump controls Narendra Modi,” he claimed.

Mr Gandhi also accused the Prime Minister of working for “billionaires”, alleging that his government had handed over land, infrastructure and airports to the Adani group. “He will not work for the farmers. He will not work for small and medium businesses; the Congress will,” he said.

Turning to foreign policy and trade, Mr Gandhi alleged that Mr Modi had signed a trade deal with the United States within five minutes, without consulting the Cabinet or bureaucrats. He claimed that US President Donald Trump had threatened Mr Modi and that the agreement had handed over the interests of Indian farmers, small and medium industries and data to the US. He also alleged that Mr Trump’s claim that he had stopped a war between India and Pakistan last year had gone unanswered by Mr Modi.

Referring to a case against the Adani group in the United States, Mr Gandhi said the matter had been closed after the trade deal. “You can Google it. But after the U.S. deal happened, Trump got the case closed. What greater proof can be there?” he said.

The Congress leader’s remarks are part of a wider political confrontation over the “anti-national” charge and the government’s proposed discussion on the SIR exercise. The BJP has said it is ready to debate the issue in Parliament, while the opposition has accused the government of restricting its voice in the House.