New Delhi, Agency
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday renewed his challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold an open debate on nationalism and allegations of foreign influence, accusing him of branding political opponents as Naxals and asserting that the Prime Minister should defend his allegations in a public confrontation.
In a post on social media platform X addressed to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Gandhi claimed that the expressions on the faces of security personnel during the Prime Minister's recent interaction with them suggested that they were unconvinced by his remarks.
"Dear @crpfindia, Your faces said it all: you didn't buy the PM's lies. He called us Naxals," Gandhi wrote.
Reiterating his challenge to Modi, the Congress leader said he was ready to debate him on who was anti-national and who was allegedly controlled by foreign forces. "My challenge stands. Let him debate me on who is anti-national and who is controlled by foreign forces. Any time, any place," he said.
In a further escalation of his attack, Gandhi declared: "My guarantee: after the debate, the PM won't have the guts to stand in front of a single jawan again."
His latest intervention has intensified the political confrontation between the Congress and the BJP over Modi's use of the expression "dimagi naxals" to describe those he accuses of weakening the country from within. The Congress has objected strongly to the terminology, accusing the Prime Minister of using the language of national security to stigmatise political opponents and critics.
The exchange also follows Gandhi's earlier challenge to Modi for an open public debate on nationalism, democratic institutions and allegations of foreign influence. Gandhi has repeatedly maintained that he is willing to face the Prime Minister on any platform, at any time and at any venue.
The BJP, meanwhile, has accused the Congress and other Opposition parties of compromising national interests through their criticism of the government. The latest exchange has brought the role of security personnel, competing claims of patriotism and the definition of nationalism into sharper focus in the intensifying political battle between the ruling party and the Opposition.
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