NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to debate him in Parliament, asking him to bring his allegations and arguments to the House instead of taking political debate to the streets. Taking a swipe at the Leader of Opposition in the lok sabha, Shah said the Congress leader would not be able to handle the government’s response and would “run away” from the debate.“If you (Rahul Gandhi) wish to engage in a responsible discussion—if your concerns hold truth, substance, and logic—then come and discuss them inside Parliament. Let’s face each other head-on! But you won’t be able to handle the answers; as always, you will just run away…” Shah said at a rally in Karnal, Haryana.The Union home minister also accused the Congress of repeatedly disrupting parliamentary proceedings and turning boycotts into a political strategy. He alleged that Rahul was avoiding substantive discussions in Parliament while mobilising crowds on the streets to “spread chaos”.“I want to explain why we are compelled to hold this rally. For the third consecutive time, the people of this country have elected Narendra Modi as Prime Minister. Following this, the Congress party—under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi—has faced repeated defeats,” he said.Warning the opposition against its protest tactics, Shah said the BJP would respond wherever the Congress chose to take its political fight.“The Bharatiya Janata Party will respond to you everywhere—in Parliament, in the Legislative Assemblies, in our villages, in our fields, and on the roads. And if you insist on gathering crowds, the workers of the BJP will be there to give you a fitting reply,” he added.Shah’s remarks came a day after Rahul challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to an open debate, claiming he could prove within five minutes that the prime minister was a “deshdrohi” (traitor).Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also urged the prime minister to answer questions surrounding alleged vote theft. Responding to Gandhi’s challenge, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Parliament was already the appropriate venue for such a debate and reminded him of his responsibilities as Leader of Opposition.
Share your thoughts in the comments
Be respectful · TOI community guidelines
“Demanding answers also carries an obligation to hear them,” Sitharaman said, accusing Gandhi and Congress MPs of repeatedly walking out or disrupting proceedings when the government responded to their allegations.Shah was addressing the concluding rally of the BJP’s ‘Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao’ (Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy) campaign, which ran from October 22 to November 5. He was accompanied by Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini and BJP leader Smriti Irani. The campaign’s second phase is scheduled from November 11 to November 30.
About The Author
