Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday renewed his challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an open debate, questioning the BJP’s allegations of the Opposition being “anti-national” and having links with foreign forces.
The Rai Bareilly MP asked the PM to choose any venue or platform for a face-to-face discussion, saying the debate should cover the country’s financial system, the India-US deal, the Adani case and allegations concerning foreign connections.
He also questioned why Modi had not filed a defamation case against him over his claims of foreign support.
Rahul Gandhi’s latest challenge came a day after he accused PM Modi of becoming and remaining Prime Minister with the backing of foreign forces, following the latter’s criticism of the Opposition.
In a video message posted on X, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said 24 hours had passed since he first challenged the Prime Minister and urged him to come forward for a public debate.
“You say the opposition is anti-national. Choose any stage, any venue, and debate me on this – Who is anti-national? Who has connections with foreign forces? And what is the nature of those connections? Let’s do this as soon as possible. Daro mat (Don’t be scared)!,” he said.
Outlining the proposed format, he said both leaders could sit across a table in the presence of the media and the country’s youth.
He also offered the PM the freedom to appoint anyone as the judge for the discussion, suggesting that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat could be considered for the role.
The 5-time MP said the debate should address several questions concerning the country’s financial and political affairs.
He alleged and questioned as to how and why the India-US deal was finalised, why it was allegedly rushed through, why the Prime Minister handled it without informing the Cabinet and why the Adani case was closed.
24 opposition , ? ? ? , , , , , , , , , , US , , , , , , Epstein – , , , , defamation , 45 defamation , foreign defamation , , , , It’s been 24 hours since I challenged you, Modi ji. You say the Opposition is anti-national. Choose any stage, any venue, and debate me on this – Who is anti-national? Who has connections with foreign forces? And what is the nature of those connections? Let’s do this as soon as possible. Daro mat! We’ll both be there. The media will be there. The youth of this country will be there. There will be a table. You’ll sit on one side, I’ll sit on the other. You can appoint whoever you want as the judge. You can even make Mohan Bhagwat ji the judge. There will be questions about the financial system, the financial structure, how the US deal happened, why it happened and why so quickly, why you made the deal alone and didn’t inform the Cabinet, why the Adani case was closed, Epstein – and many other issues. We’ll discuss all of them openly. Let the truth come out. Let everything be crystal clear. You make allegations against me, don’t you? Come forward. Everything will become clear. You’ve filed defamation cases against me over other matters. I think there are around 45 defamation cases against me. But on this issue of the debate, on the question of foreign connections, you haven’t filed a defamation case. Go ahead, file one. We’ll discuss that openly too. Happy Diwali, Modi ji.— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 3, 2026
He also referred to the Epstein case, saying these and other issues deserved an open discussion.
“Let the truth come out. Let everything be crystal clear. You make allegations against me, don’t you? Come forward. Everything will become clear,” he said.
The Congress leader also challenged PM Modi to initiate legal proceedings over his allegations of foreign connections, pointing out that several defamation cases had already been filed against him on other issues.
“You’ve filed defamation cases against me over other matters. I think there are around 45 defamation cases against me. But on this issue of the debate, on the question of foreign connections, you haven’t filed a defamation case. Go ahead, file one. We’ll discuss that openly too,” Gandhi said, extending Diwali greetings to the Prime Minister.
OPINION POLL ON DEBATE CHALLENGE
In a separate post on X, the Congress MP sought the public’s opinion on whether they wanted to see an open debate between him and PM Modi.
He tagged Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, urging them to persuade the Prime Minister to accept the challenge.
KIREN RIJIJU’S SHARP RETORT
Earlier, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s earlier proposal, saying high-level debates should take place between mature people.
Mocking the Congress leader’s allegations, Rijiju compared his remarks to “Islamic fundamentalists talking about secularism”.
Rijiju also accused him of pushing the agendas of India’s enemies while questioning others over alleged foreign support.
The political confrontation follows PM Modi’s recent remarks in Gujarat, where he accused certain forces of attempting to destabilise and divide the country through misinformation and alleged links with anti-India elements abroad.
He had also described the Opposition as an “Avrodh Paksh” (obstructionist faction) rather than a “Virodh Paksh” (opposition), accusing it of obstructing the country’s development.
With the Congress MP reiterating his challenge and the BJP rejecting his allegations, the political face-off over foreign connections, national interest and the functioning of the Opposition has intensified.
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