New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to an open debate on allegations of foreign interference, accusing him of relying on foreign support to come to power and remain in office.
In a post on X, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha hit back at Modi for accusing the Opposition of taking foreign help to destabilise the country.
“Mr Modi, stop lying to this nation. You became PM because of foreign help. You remain PM because of foreign help. Your financial system is fully controlled and supported by foreigners. Foreign social media fully backs you,” Gandhi alleged.
He challenged the prime minister to debate the issue publicly, saying he was ready to meet him at any venue and at any time.
“I challenge you to an open debate about this. Any stage, any time. Come if you have the guts. You won’t dare, because you are terrified of what I know about you,” Gandhi said.
Modi had on Saturday accused certain forces within the country of spreading lies and rumours to create instability while the nation was dealing with external challenges. He made the remarks during a visit to Gujarat.
“When the country was seeking solutions to external challenges, some forces within the country were also creating instability by spreading lies and rumours. But the countrymen stood shoulder to shoulder with the nation,” Modi said.
The prime minister also criticised the Opposition, describing it as an “Avrodh Paksh” (obstructionist bloc) rather than a “Virodh Paksh” (Opposition).
“In their frustration, these people are standing as obstacles in the way of the country’s development. This is not opposition; this is obstruction,” he said.
Modi further accused the Congress and other INDIA bloc parties of undermining constitutional norms.
“These people are engaged in shredding the boundaries of the Constitution,” he said.
Without naming Gandhi, Modi also referred to the Opposition leader's overseas visits and alleged that anti-India forces were supporting certain political figures.
“Due to the frustration of more than a decade, these people have now come out in the open. Who is secretly meeting whom abroad? Whom are the anti-India forces supporting? Who is speaking the language of India’s enemies? We will have to recognise all these patterns,” the prime minister said.