Politics · India Bureau
Sitharaman challenges Gandhi to Parliament debate on electoral issues
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to bring discussions on electoral roll revisions and electronic voting machines to Parliament rather than engaging in social media exchanges. The challenge comes as the government has already indicated readiness to convene a special parliamentary session on these contentious issues.
LSN India ·
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday called out Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for conducting political debates on social media platforms instead of utilizing the parliamentary forum available to him. In a post on X, Sitharaman noted that Gandhi, who serves as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has an established venue to air his concerns.
"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. Why not show the same enthusiasm for a debate in Parliament that you show while issuing challenges on social media?" Sitharaman said.
The finance minister's remarks referenced Union Home Minister Amit Shah's previous announcement that the government stands ready to convene a special parliamentary session to debate the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and the use of electronic voting machines in elections. These issues have emerged as key points of contention between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress party.
Sitharaman's challenge followed Gandhi's recent call for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to engage in an open debate on allegations of opposition parties being anti-national. Gandhi has also pressed the Prime Minister to file a defamation case over his claims regarding the BJP's foreign connections.