Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday renewed his challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an open debate on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, asking Home Minister Amit Shah to convince the Prime Minister to accept it. In a post in Hindi, Gandhi said, “Amit Shah ji, don’t confuse Modi ji. Just convince him to have an open debate with me. Any platform, any time.” He shared a video montage contrasting Shah’s remarks in Parliament in December last year with his comments on Thursday that the government is open to convening a special session of Parliament to discuss the revision exercise.
The trigger for Gandhi’s renewed challenge was Shah’s statement at a Bharatiya Janata Party rally in Karnal, Haryana, on Thursday, as part of the party’s ‘Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy’ campaign. Shah said the government was ready to discuss the Special Intensive Revision in Parliament if the Congress formally requested a special session, and challenged Gandhi to present his objections in the House, saying Parliament was the appropriate forum for elected representatives to debate public issues. He also asked Gandhi to write to the Prime Minister if he wanted a dedicated discussion on the electoral roll revision exercise.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi hit back at Gandhi on Saturday, accusing him of circulating a cropped and out-of-context video of the Home Minister. In the December clip shared by Gandhi, Shah appears to say that the revision exercise cannot be discussed in the House; in the clip from Thursday, Shah says there is no need for Modi to debate and that the government is prepared to call a special session for a discussion on the issue. Joshi said the video Gandhi shared misrepresented Shah’s position, while Gandhi has repeatedly dared the Prime Minister to debate him openly on the issue.
Congress general secretary (organisation) K. C. Venugopal also responded to Shah, expressing confidence that Rahul Gandhi will become Prime Minister in 2029. Speaking to Hindustan Times, Venugopal hit back at Shah’s remark that Gandhi could become Prime Minister “only in a mock Parliament”, saying the political battle was not about capturing the top post but about restoring democracy. “Amit Shah, wait for some time. Take it from us — Rahul Gandhi will become the Prime Minister of India,” Venugopal said, adding that the people want Gandhi to become Prime Minister.
Gandhi has repeatedly challenged the Prime Minister to an open debate in recent days, including on 3 November over his charge that the opposition is anti-national, and on 4 November over the questions he has raised on the electoral roll revision. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has also said the Prime Minister should come forward and face the questions the opposition is raising. The government, through Shah and Joshi, has maintained that Parliament is the proper forum for the debate and that it is ready to convene a special session if the Congress makes a formal request.
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