Rahul Gandhi has asked Modi to choose the venue and format, even suggesting RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat as the presiding judge. The Prime Minister has not publicly responded to the challenge.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi, November 3, 2026: Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday renewed his challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to face him in a public debate, saying 24 hours had passed since he first issued the invitation.
In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi urged PM Modi to choose any venue and format for the debate. He proposed that the two leaders sit across a table before the media and the country’s youth, with a judge of the Prime Minister’s choice presiding. Gandhi even suggested RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for the role.
“Daro mat!” (Don’t be afraid), he told the Prime Minister, adding that the debate should take place as soon as possible.
Gandhi said the discussion should address who had links with foreign forces and the nature of those connections. He also listed several other subjects, including India’s financial system, the India-US trade deal, the Adani case and references involving the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein.
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24 घंटे हो गए मोदी जी। मैंने आपको चैलेंज दिया है।
आप कहते हो कि opposition देशद्रोही है। किसी भी स्टेज पे आप जगह चुनिए, डिबेट कीजिए मेरे साथ।
देशद्रोही कौन है? विदेशी फोर्सेस का कनेक्शन किसका है? और किस प्रकार का कनेक्शन है? जल्दी से जल्दी कीजिए, डरिए मत।
दोनों मिलेंगे, मीडिया होगी, देश के युवा होंगे, टेबल होगी, एक साइड आप बैठोगे, एक साइड मैं बैठूंगा। जिसको आप जज बनाना चाहते हो, बना दो। मोहन भागवत जी को बिठा दो, चलो। और फिर डिबेट करते हैं।
सवाल उठेंगे फाइनेंशियल सिस्टम पर, फाइनेंशियल स्ट्रक्चर पर, US डील कैसे हुई, क्यों हुई, इतनी जल्दी क्यों हुई, सिर्फ आपने क्यों की, कैबिनेट को क्यों नहीं बताया, अडानी का केस बंद क्यों हुआ, Epstein – ऐसी बहुत सारी चीजें हैं जिसपे खुलकर डिस्कशन होगा।
आ जाइए, डरिए मत।
दूध का दूध, पानी का पानी कीजिए।आप एलिगेशन लगाते हैं ना मेरे ऊपर, आ जाइए, सब साफ हो जाएगा।
बाकी चीजों पे आपने defamation केस लगा रखा है, शायद 45 defamation केस मेरे ऊपर हैं।
मगर इस डिबेट मामले पे, foreign कनेक्शन पे आप defamation नहीं लगा रहे हो। लगाइए ना, वहाँ भी डिस्कस करेंगे, खुल के। ये सब डिस्कस करते हैं, आइए।
हैप्पी दिवाली, मोदी जी।
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
Questioning the circumstances surrounding the India-US trade deal, RahuGandhi asked why it had been concluded so quickly and why, according to him, l Modi had handled the matter without informing the Cabinet.
Rahul also sought an open discussion on what he described as the closure of the Adani case and the references linked to Epstein. Gandhi said the proposed debate would allow both sides to put their claims before the public and let people judge the facts.
The Congress leader referred to what he said were around 45 defamation cases filed against him on various issues. He claimed that no such case had been filed over his remarks about foreign connections and challenged Modi to initiate one if he believed the statements were defamatory. That, too, could become part of the public debate, he said.
Rahul Gandhi ended his post with a Diwali greeting to the Prime Minister.
The renewed challenge followed Gandhi’s remarks on November 2, when he alleged that Modi had become Prime Minister, and continued in office, with foreign assistance. He also claimed that foreign entities exercised influence over India’s financial system and that overseas social media platforms supported the Prime Minister.
His remarks came after Modi accused the Opposition of acting as an “obstructionist force”, creating chaos and maintaining links with forces hostile to India.
Gandhi’s proposed debate seeks to turn that political exchange into a public confrontation over foreign influence, economic policy and allegations involving major business interests. However, the claims he has raised remain allegations and have not been established through the proposed debate or any finding cited in his challenge.
As of Tuesday evening, neither the Prime Minister’s Office nor the BJP had issued a formal response to Gandhi’s renewed invitation.
