Rahul again challenges Modi to a debate, forcing him to prove that the opposition is anti-national

Congress President Rahul Gandhi. File | Photo credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday (Nov 3, 2026) challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prove that opposition parties are “anti-national” as he invited Mr Modi to an open debate for the second time in as many days.

Mr Gandhi’s latest call came within a day of his earlier call for an open debate with the Prime Minister, who accused the opposition of accepting foreign aid to destabilize the country. The Congress leader, in turn, on Monday accused Mr Modi of coming to power and occupying the prime minister’s seat with “foreign help”.

In a video posted on his X handle on Tuesday, Mr Gandhi said: “It’s been 24 hours since I challenged you, Modi ji. You say the opposition is anti-national. Pick any scene, any place and discuss it with me; who is anti-national? Who has connections with foreign powers? And what is the nature of those connections? Let’s do it as soon as possible. D” Dariye mat).

Rahul’s questions

The Leader of the Opposition set the stage for the proposed debate, saying that the media, the country’s youth and the table would be there. “You will sit on one side, I will sit on the other. You can appoint whoever you want as a judge. You can even make (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief) Mohan Bhagwat ji a judge,” Mr Gandhi said.

Mr Gandhi said he would raise questions on the country’s financial system, the circumstances surrounding the India-US deal, why it was concluded in a hurry, allegedly without informing the Union Cabinet, the closure of the Adani case and the Epstein files, among other questions during the proposed debate.

“We will discuss all of them openly. Let the truth come out. Let everything be crystal clear. You’re accusing me, aren’t you? Come on. Everything will be clear,” he said.

Mr. Gandhi also asked why the Prime Minister did not file a defamation case against him over his foreign dealings allegations, even though he had filed several such cases in other matters.

Its already 24 hours Modi ji. I challenged you. You say the opposition is anti-national. Choose a seat on any stage and debate with me. who is the traitor Who has connections to foreign powers? And what type of connection is it? Do it quickly, don’t worry. Both will meet, the media will be there, the youth of the country will be there, there will be a table, you will sit on one side, I will sit on the other side. Make whoever you want the judge. Let Mohan Bhagwat ji sit let’s go. And then debate. Questions will be raised about the financial system, the financial structure, how the deal with the US came about, why it happened, why it happened so quickly, why only you did it, why you didn’t tell the cabinet, why the Adani case was closed, Epstein – there are many things that will be openly discussed. Come, don’t be afraid. We milk the milk, cover it with water. You are forcing accusations on me, come on, everything will be clear. You’ve filed defamation lawsuits for other things, probably 45 defamation cases against me. But you don’t use slander on foreign connections in this thread of debate. Put it on, we’ll discuss there too, openly. Let’s discuss all this, come on. Happy Diwali, Modi ji. It’s been 24 hours since I challenged you, Modi ji. You say the opposition is anti-national. Choose any stage, any place and discuss it with me – Who is anti-national? Who has connections to foreign powers? And what is the nature of these connections? Let’s do it as soon as possible. Give it to me! We’ll both be there. The media will be there. The youth of this country will be there. There will be a table. You will sit on one side, I will sit on the other. You can appoint whoever you want as a judge. You can even make Mohan Bhagwat ji a judge. There will be questions about the financial system, the financial structure, how the deal with the US came about, why it happened and why so quickly, why you did the deal yourself and did not inform the cabinet, why the Adani case was closed, Epstein – and many other issues. We will openly discuss all of them. Let the truth come out. Let everything be crystal clear. You’re blaming me, aren’t you? Come forward. Everything will become clear. You have filed defamation suits against me for other matters. I think there are about 45 defamation cases against me. But on this issue of the debate, on the issue of foreign connections, you did not file a libel suit. Go ahead, write one down. We will discuss this openly as well. Happy Diwali, Modi ji.

—Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 3, 2026

“You have filed defamation cases against me in other matters. I think there are about 45 cases against me. But you have not filed any on this foreign relations issue. Go ahead, file one. We will discuss this openly as well. Happy Diwali, Modi ji,” he said in a pre-festival post.

Another post

In the following post by X, addressed to the youth of India, the Leader of the Opposition took a poll on whether or not there should be a debate between him and the Prime Minister. “Want to see Rahul Gandhi vs Narendra Modi open debate?” he asked.

Marking Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Mr Gandhi said: “You always have the Prime Minister’s best interest in mind; convince him to come.”

Rijiju’s shout

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju lashed out at Mr Gandhi for calling on the Prime Minister for an open debate on the issue of alleged foreign interference, saying the call was akin to “Islamic fundamentalists talking about secularism”.

“Debates at the highest level are between grown-ups,” Mr Rijiju said in a post on X, responding to Mr Gandhi’s remarks.

“Promoting the agenda of India’s enemies and yet accusing others of foreign support is self-mockery,” the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said, equating the opposition leader with separatists and anarchists.

Mr Gandhi’s call came against the backdrop of Mr Modi’s recent remarks in Gujarat where he accused forces in the country of spreading lies and rumors to create instability.

Published – 03 Nov 2026 19:04 IST