Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that he was “100% ready” to take on Narendra Modi in a public debate amid the Lok Sabha polls, but expressed confidence that the prime minister would not agree, reported PTI
Gandhi made the remark at a “Samvidhan Sammelan [Constitution conference]” event in Lucknow organised by the Samruddha Bharat Foundation.
The MP from Kerala’s Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency also said at the event that his party had “made mistakes” and would “have to change its politics” in the future, though he did not specify the nature of changes that the party plans to implement.
“This will have to be done,” Gandhi said. “I also want to say that the Congress party has also made mistakes and I am saying this while being from the Congress party.”
Justices Madan Lokur and AP Shah, former judges of the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court, respectively, along with former editor of The Hindu N Ram, had on Thursday invited Modi and Gandhi to participate in a public debate.
A public debate on a non-partisan and non-commercial platform would greatly benefit citizens and strengthen the democratic process, the former judges and the journalist said in their letter to the two political leaders.
“A public debate such as this would, therefore, set a great precedent, not just by educating the public, but also in projecting the true image of a healthy and vibrant democracy,” it added.
The letter said that the leaders of both Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and Gandhi’s Congress had raised important questions while campaigning for the polls.
“The Prime Minister has publicly challenged the Congress on reservations, Article 370 and wealth redistribution,” it said. “Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has questioned the Prime Minister on possible mutilation of the Constitution, electoral bond scheme and the government’s response to China, and also challenged him to a public debate.”
The letter said that both the parties have asked each other questions about their respective manifestos, as well as their stand on the constitutionally protected scheme of social justice. The former judges and the veteran journalist, however, expressed concern that the questions have not evoked meaningful responses from either side.
Justices Lokur and Shah along with N Ram also proposed the option for either leader to nominate a representative to partake in the debate if they were unable to attend.
Gandhi on Friday proposed that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge could participate in the debate as well.
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