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Tuesday | November 03, 2026 | Dhaka

Rahul challenges Modi to debate on ‘foreign help’

 International Desk
 Published: 12:02 AM, 03 November 2026

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to an open debate on “foreign help” after the Prime Minister accused the Opposition of seeking overseas support to destabilise the country. Gandhi hit back, alleging that Modi himself owed his rise to power and continued tenure to foreign backing.

The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha made the allegations in a post on X.

“Mr Modi, stop lying to this nation. You became PM because of foreign help. You remain PM because of foreign help.

“Your financial system is fully controlled and supported by foreigners. Foreign social media fully backs you,” he alleged.

“I challenge you to an open debate about this. Any stage, any time. Come if you have the guts. You won’t dare, because you are terrified of what I know about you,” Gandhi claimed, reports Telegraph India.

Modi’s attack on the Opposition
Prime Minister Modi had alleged that obstructionist forces were trying to divide the country and social media was being used to spread rumours.

During his Gujarat visit on Saturday, Modi said, “When the country was seeking solutions to external challenges, some forces within the country were also creating instability by spreading lies and rumours.

But the countrymen stood shoulder to shoulder with the nation.”

Modi also accused the Opposition of obstructing development.

“It is our misfortune that at this time in the country, the opposition has turned into an Avrodh Paksh rather than Virodh Paksh. In their frustration, these people are standing as obstacles in the way of the country’s development. This is not opposition; this is obstruction,” he was quoted as saying by theindianexpress.com.

He further accused the opposition of violating constitutional norms.

“These people are engaged in shredding the boundaries of the Constitution,” said the PM.

In a veiled reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s foreign trips, he said, “Due to the frustration of more than a decade, these people have now come out in the open. Who is secretly meeting whom abroad? Whom are the anti-India forces supporting? Who is speaking the language of India’s enemies? We will have to recognise all these patterns.”

Back in 2019, Gandhi has challenged Modi to a public debate. On January 2, 2019, the then Congress president sought a 20-minute, one-on-one debate on the Rafale fighter jet deal, modelled on US presidential debates.

“Just give me 20 minutes to debate with the PM… one-on-one debate on Rafale, combat jets… but he doesn’t have the guts,” Gandhi said.

The government and aircraft manufacturer Dassault had denied the Congress’s allegations about the deal.

Advani’s call for US-style debates

The idea of public debates between prime ministerial contenders also found support within the BJP. On May 2, 2014, senior party leader LK Advani backed the format while addressing an election rally in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand.

“Instead of rallies by different political parties, the Election Commission should organise discussions between main contenders for the post of Prime Minister in particular election,” Advani said.

The veteran BJP leader said, “had this system adopted in the country right after the first general elections, the Indian democracy would have strengthened.”