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AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal on Wednesday discussed the deliberations and outcomes of the National Conference of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairpersons, highlighting key issues concerning government expenditure, audit procedures and accountability, also questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his alleged reluctance to accept Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's challenge for an open debate.
Speaking about the PAC Chairpersons' National Conference, Venugopal described the meeting as one of the most meaningful gatherings, expressing confidence that the discussions would lead to positive outcomes. He highlighted the important role of the Public Accounts Committee in examining budget estimates, reviewing government expenditure and identifying shortcomings in the utilisation of public funds. Venugopal said, "As the Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), I believe this has been one of the most meaningful meetings to date, and it is set to yield positive outcomes. As you know, the primary objective of the Public Accounts Committee is to examine budget estimates and identify shortcomings in government expenditure. Often, challenges arise due to delays in the audit process, the time taken to submit audit reports, and subsequent delays in reporting the action taken on those findings. We discussed these three issues in detail and arrived at a clear solution..." He further emphasised the need to address procedural delays in the audit and accountability mechanisms, particularly the time taken to complete audits, submit reports and communicate action taken on the findings. According to Venugopal, these three issues were discussed in detail during the conference, with participants deliberating on possible solutions to improve the functioning of the committee and strengthen accountability in government expenditure. In a separate interaction with ANI, the AICC General Secretary responded to a question regarding Rahul Gandhi's challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a debate, questioning why the Prime Minister was allegedly avoiding an open discussion with the Congress leader. Venugopal said Rahul Gandhi had repeatedly called for a debate with the Prime Minister, particularly in response to what he described as repeated allegations against the Congress and its leaders. He maintained that Rahul Gandhi was prepared to participate in the discussion and questioned the Prime Minister's reluctance to engage in debates and public dialogue. Venugopal said, "Rahul Gandhi has been consistently challenging Narendra Modi to a debate, because every single time, the Prime Minister insults us by calling us 'traitors' or 'anti-national'. So, we are ready to prove who the real 'anti-national' in this country is... Rahul Gandhi is ready; he is demanding a debate. Why are you running away?... Why is PM Modi shying away from debates, discussions, dialogue, and press conferences?" Meanwhile, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday renewed his challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a face-to-face debate, claiming that he could prove within five minutes that the Prime Minister was a 'desh-drohi' (traitor) and was being controlled by US President Donald Trump. Addressing the Congress party's 'Insaaf Rally' in Sangrur, Gandhi said PM Modi would not agree to sit across the table with him for a debate, adding that the Prime Minister could choose anyone as the judge and decide the venue for the discussion. "Yesterday, I challenged Narendra Modi to a face-to-face debate. He can make anyone he wants the judge for this debate. I guarantee the nation that Narendra Modi cannot sit before me. I can guarantee that within five minutes of the debate starting, I will prove that Narendra Modi is a 'desh-drohi' and Donald Trump controls him," Gandhi said. The renewed challenge came a day after Gandhi launched a poll on social media platform X, asking young Indians whether they wanted to see an open debate between him and the Prime Minister. In his post, Gandhi tagged senior BJP leaders, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, urging them to convince Prime Minister Modi to accept the challenge. The confrontation follows Gandhi's earlier allegations that Prime Minister Modi became and remained in office with foreign assistance and that India's financial system was controlled and supported by foreign forces. (ANI)
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