Union Minister Smriti Irani took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi following his acceptance of an invitation to engage in a public debate with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on key election issues. Irani questioned Gandhi’s stature as a prime ministerial candidate for the INDIA bloc and ridiculed his readiness to debate with someone of Prime Minister Modi’s caliber.
“Firstly, the individual who lacks the courage to contest against an ordinary BJP worker in his so-called stronghold should refrain from making grand claims. Secondly, who dares to sit on the same platform as PM Modi and engage in a debate? I’d like to ask him if he considers himself a prime ministerial candidate of the INDIA bloc,” Irani, the BJP candidate from Amethi, remarked to news agency ANI.
Rahul Gandhi, contesting from Kerala’s Wayanad and Uttar Pradesh’s Raebareli constituencies, formally accepted an invitation to a public debate with PM Modi on the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. The invitation came from former Supreme Court judge Madan B Lokur, former High Court Chief Justice AP Shah, and senior journalist N Ram.
Gandhi stated that such a debate “would aid people in understanding our respective visions and enable them to make an informed choice.” He also indicated that either he or Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge would be willing to participate.
Meanwhile, Irani criticized Kharge for questioning the voter turnout data in the Lok Sabha elections and launched a scathing attack on the Congress. “The Congress raised issues like scrutinizing citizens’ wealth, suggesting measures to confiscate half of their property. It advocated for overturning the decision on the Ram Temple. These are national matters, and every citizen, not just the Prime Minister, has the right to express their opinion on them,” she asserted.
“If Kharge ji believes that informed voters and citizens should not take an interest in national politics, then perhaps he assumes that everyone shares Rahul Gandhi’s mindset,” she added.
Kharge had earlier penned a letter to leaders of the INDIA bloc, alleging discrepancies in the voting data released by the election commission. He shared the letter on X, stating that the “credibility of the Election Commission” had reached an all-time low.
