Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Friday he was ready to debate public issues with Prime Minister Narendra Modi but expressed doubts about the latter’s willingness to engage in such discussions.
Rahul Gandhi, while speaking at an event titled ‘Rashtriya Samvidhan Sammelan’ in Lucknow, was asked about a letter from a senior journalist and two former judges urging the Congress leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a public debate on the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
“I am 100 percent ready to debate with the Prime Minister on public issues on any platform,” Gandhi claimed. “But I know him and he is 100 percent not going to debate with me.”
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Former editor of The Hindu N Ram, former Supreme Court judge Madan Lokur and former Delhi High Court chief justice AP Shah on Thursday asked the two leaders to participate in a public debate on a non-commercial and non-partisan platform, saying they had heard nothing but Allegations and challenges from one side but no meaningful response.
They argue that in a digital age where misinformation abounds, debates like this are crucial to ensuring informed voters can make meaningful choices at the ballot box.
“To this end, we believe that citizens would benefit greatly by hearing directly from our political leaders through public debate on a non-partisan and non-commercial platform. If the public could not only hear both sides of the issues, but also hear both sides response, that would be ideal,” the letter said.
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It added: “Public debates like this will therefore set a great precedent not only to educate the public but also to present a true image of a healthy and vibrant democracy.”
The three urged Modi and Gandhi to nominate a representative for the debate if the two were unable to attend.