Gandhi challenges Shah to persuade Modi for public SIR debate

Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday renewed his call for an open debate with Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the SIR exercise, directly appealing to BJP president Amit Shah to broker the discussion. The Congress leader's intervention signals a sharpening of the political confrontation between the ruling party and the opposition over the survey programme.

Gandhi's move comes as part of a broader Congress strategy to challenge the government's implementation of the SIR initiative, which has become a point of contention between the two parties. The Congress leader has consistently sought a public forum to discuss the exercise directly with the Prime Minister, framing the demand as a test of the government's willingness to engage with dissenting voices.

The BJP and Congress have been locked in a war of words over the SIR exercise, with each party accusing the other of political opportunism and misrepresentation. Gandhi's latest appeal to Shah underscores the Congress's determination to keep the issue in the public domain and force a substantive engagement at the highest political levels.

The exchange reflects the intensifying political temperature ahead of key electoral contests and signals that the SIR controversy is likely to remain a flashpoint between the two parties in coming weeks.