BJP Accepts Invite To Debate With Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, But There's A Catch

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: The BJP has accepted the proposal to debate Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. However, instead of PM Narendra Modi, it nominated a youth wing office-bearer Abhinav Prakash.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Amidst the fervor of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has accepted the proposal to debate Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. However instead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) President Tejasvi Surya nominated Abhinav Prakash as the saffron party's representative. This comes as Retired Justice Madan B Lokur, Justice Ajit P Shah, and journalist N Ram extended an invitation to both Rahul Gandhi and PM Modi inviting them to a platform for a debate on the key election issues. They stated that the proposal for the debate was non-partisan and in the broader interest of every citizen.

Surya in response to Rahul Gandhi accepting the invite, stated, "Namaste Rahul ji! We appreciate your willingness to engage in discussions and debates on critical governance issues amid the demanding schedule of the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign." Underscoring the necessity of open dialogue on the BJP's vision and policies, Surya nominated Prakash as the BJYM's representative for the same.  

In response to this, Indian Youth Congress President Srinivas BV quipped, "Dear Tejasvi Surya, I have deputed Pankaj Shrivastava to debate with you on issues which matter the most to the People of India. It will be an enriching debate between a hatemonger and an ordinary man. I hope you will not open the Emergency Exit Gate before the debate ends."

Who Is Abhinav Prakash?

Abhinav Prakash is the National Vice-President of the Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha, BJP's Youth Wing. He has served as an assistant professor of economics at Ramjas College in Delhi University. He is part of the core team of Samajik Samvad, a focused outreach campaign of the BJP to Dalit castes while also being a bilingual columnist in Hindi and English writing on socio-economic and political issues. 

According to Ramjas College's website, his educational qualification includes Economics (H) as an undergraduate from Hindu College, Delhi University in 2007. Followed by Postgraduate and Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degrees from JNU in 2009 and 2011.

Taking to X, he thanked the BJYM President for nominating his name to debate Rahul Gandhi, "Thank you Shri @Tejasvi_Surya ji for nominating me. I am looking forward to Shri @RahulGandhi  ji to agree to debate. Let there be open discussion on all the issues be it democracy, constitution, governance, employment under Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji."

Speaking to news agency ANI, he took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi saying, "I hope he doesn't run away from the debate the way he ran away from Amethi otherwise who knows he will have to run away from Raebareli as well, in the next elections..."

Rahul Gandhi Accepts Invite To Debate PM Modi, BJP Says 'First Get Declared As Congress PM Candidate'

On May 10, Rahul Gandhi in a letter addressed to retired judges Madan B. Lokur, Ajit P. Shah, and journalist N. Ram, Gandhi expressed readiness to participate in the debate either himself or through Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. "Such a debate will help people understand our respective vision and enable them to make an informed choice," Gandhi asserted, emphasising the need to dispel unsubstantiated allegations and provide direct insights to the electorate.

"It would be a positive initiative for the major parties to present their vision to the country from one platform for a healthy democracy," Gandhi stated, expressing hope for Modi's participation.

However, the BJP questioned the need for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to engage in the political faceoff asking for the Congress to declare Rahul Gandhi as its Prime Ministerial candidate.

On May 11, Tejasvi Surya took to X and wrote, "Who is Rahul Gandhi, that PM Modi should debate with him? Rahul Gandhi isn’t even the PM candidate of the Congress Party, let alone the INDI Alliance. Let him first get himself declared as Congress’s PM candidate, state he will take accountability for his party’s defeat, and then invite PM for a debate. Until then, we are ready to depute our BJYM spokespersons to take him on in any debate."

On the other hand, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh Jairam Ramesh urged Modi to demonstrate similar readiness as he wrote, "Day 2 of @RahulGandhi’s letter accepting an invitation to debate the Prime Minister. The 56-inch chest has not yet mustered the courage to accept the invite."

With Phase 4 of the Lok Sabha elections underway, just three more phases remain for the electoral future of the country to be revealed with result announcement on June 4.