New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday launched a pointed attack on Congress Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, rejecting his call for a public face-off with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She argued that the venue Gandhi is seeking already exists: Parliament, where he holds the LoP position, IANS reported.
Responding Gandhi’s challenge on X, Sitharaman wrote, “Rahul ji, you ask the Prime Minister to choose a venue for a debate. There is already one: Parliament, where you happen to be the LoP.”
She noted that Home Minister Amit Shah, just a day earlier, had proposed convening a special parliamentary session to examine the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and concerns surrounding Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
“Why not show the same enthusiasm for a debate in Parliament that you show while issuing challenges on social media?” she asked.
Challenge To Opposition Conduct
Sitharaman alleged that Gandhi and the INDIA bloc had repeatedly exited the House whenever the government began replying to their charges. “Demanding answers also carries an obligation to hear them,” she said.
“There have been several occasions when you and your party have walked out of Parliament while the government was responding to your allegations. How do you claim to be so eager for a debate when you don’t even stay to hear the other side?” she said.
She further faulted the Opposition for stalling proceedings, saying repeated disruptions had led to complete sittings being lost. “If you are so keen on debating, why not allow Parliament to function in the first place?” she questioned.
Calls For Evidence & Respect
Taking a swipe at Congress’s recently held “mock Parliament” at the party president’s residence, Sitharaman remarked, “Frankly, that was more a ‘mockery of Parliament’ than a ‘mock Parliament’. You found the time and enthusiasm for that exercise. Surely, the real Parliament deserves at least as much.”
Appealing to Gandhi to defend democratic institutions, she said those who frequently invoke democracy and the Constitution should demonstrate comparable regard for the bodies created under them.
She also asked the LoP to present concrete allegations supported by evidence instead of assembling lengthy lists of charges “frivolously.”
“You say, ‘Daro mat.’ Then bring the facts, face the scrutiny and stay to hear the answers. In the House, uphold the standards of debate you demand from others,” she concluded.
