New Delhi: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday renewed his challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an open debate on alleged foreign links, the US trade deal, the Adani case and the controversy surrounding Jeffrey Epstein.
Gandhi asked Modi to choose a venue for the discussion and proposed that it be held in the presence of the media and young people. He also suggested that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat could act as the judge.
In a post on X, Gandhi said 24 hours had passed since he first challenged the prime minister to a public debate.
"Who is the anti-national? Who has connections with foreign forces? And what kind of connections are they? Do it as soon as possible—don't be afraid," he wrote.
Gandhi said the debate would allow him to respond to allegations levelled against him by Modi and the ruling establishment over purported links between the Opposition and foreign forces.
Listing the issues he wanted to discuss, the Congress leader raised questions about the country's financial system, the circumstances surrounding the US trade deal and the speed with which it was finalised. He also questioned why the agreement was concluded without informing the Cabinet.
The Adani case and the Epstein controversy were among the other subjects he proposed taking up.
"There are so many things like that on which we'll have an open discussion," Gandhi said.
He also referred to the approximately 45 defamation cases he said had been filed against him over various issues. Questioning why no such case had been filed over his remarks about alleged foreign connections, Gandhi challenged Modi to initiate legal action if he believed the allegations were false.
"Go ahead, file one—we'll discuss that openly too. Let's discuss all of this, come on," he said.