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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday responded to Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhis challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a public debate, saying the discussion should take place in Parliament and not on the streets.
In a post on X, Sarma took a swipe at Gandhi over his Diwali greeting to the Prime Minister, saying, "Dear Rahul ji, roses are given on Valentines Day, not on Diwali. "Anyway, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will see you in Parliament." Sharing a video on X, Sarma also questioned Gandhi's role as the Leader of the Opposition and said Parliament was the appropriate place for a debate with the Prime Minister. "Rahul ji, yesterday you posted a video. You were holding a rose and wishing the Prime Minister a Happy Diwali. Rahul ji, roses are given on Valentines Day; they are not given on Diwali. Tell me one thing: are you even aware that you are the Leader of the Opposition? If you are the Leader of the Opposition and if you truly consider yourself to be one, then where is this debate with the Prime Minister supposed to take place? On the streets? In some alleyway? Or in Parliament? The Speaker is in Parliament; your mother is in Parliament; your sister is in Parliament, so the debate could easily take place in Parliament, he said. There are plenty of issues to discuss, from Bofors to the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. This time, please ensure there is no ruckus in Parliament. You should initiate the debate; the Prime Minister will respond, and all these issues can be addressed. Why do you want to drag people out onto the streets? This isn't Bangladesh; this isn't Nepal. Rahul ji, do not take the people for fools. I have one request for you: you cannot go on playing the role of an "angry young man" forever. If you truly wish to become a good politician and I offer this advice free of charge, then please, engage in a proper, peaceful debate in Parliament this time." Sarma added. Earlier on Tuesday, Gandhi, in a post on X, had said that 24 hours had passed since his initial challenge and urged the Prime Minister to come forward for a public face-off in the presence of the media and the youth. Its been 24 hours since I challenged you, Modi ji. You say the Opposition is anti-national. Choose any stage, any venue, and debate me on this - Who is anti-national? Who has connections with foreign forces? And what is the nature of those connections? Lets do this as soon as possible. Daro mat! Gandhi wrote on X. Proposing the format for the debate, the Congress leader said both leaders could sit across a table, with the Prime Minister free to choose the moderator. Well both be there. The media will be there. The youth of this country will be there. There will be a table. Youll sit on one side, Ill sit on the other. You can appoint whoever you want as the judge. You can even make Mohan Bhagwat ji the judge, he wrote. Gandhi also listed several issues he wanted to discuss, including the financial system, the India-US deal, the Adani case and the Epstein matter. There will be questions about the financial system, the financial structure, how the US deal happened, why it happened and why so quickly, why you made the deal alone and didnt inform the Cabinet, why the Adani case was closed, Epstein - and many other issues. Well discuss all of them openly. Let the truth come out. Let everything be crystal clear, he added. He further challenged the Prime Minister to file a defamation case against him over his allegations, stating that he was already facing several such cases. You make allegations against me, dont you? Come forward. Everything will become clear. Youve filed defamation cases against me over other matters. I think there are around 45 defamation cases against me. But on this issue of the debate, on the question of foreign connections, you havent filed a defamation case. Go ahead, file one. Well discuss that openly too. Happy Diwali, Modi ji, Gandhi added. (ANI)
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