Convince Modi to debate Rahul first, Congress MP Manickam Tagore tells Shah

NEW DELHI: Countering Union Home Minister Amit Shah's challenge to Rahul Gandhi for a debate in Parliament on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Friday said Shah should first persuade Prime Minister Narendra Modi to face the Leader of the Opposition in an open debate.

Speaking to the TNIE, the Tamil Nadu MP said Gandhi was ready to discuss every issue, from SIR to allegations of foreign links levelled against the Opposition. He said the debate should be between the head of the government and the Leader of the Opposition.

"It should not be with the Home Minister or Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey," he said.

Tagore's response came a day after Shah, addressing a rally in Haryana's Karnal, asked Gandhi to write to Modi seeking a special session of Parliament, saying the government was ready to discuss SIR. Shah also accused the Congress of disrupting Parliament while demanding a debate outside.

Questioning the offer, Tagore said that the proposed special session is a "hidden agenda" to take up the delimitation bill. "They want to discuss the delimitation bill under the guise of a special session on SIR," he said.

He said Gandhi's insistence on a neutral venue for a debate with Modi is from his experience in Parliament, where, he alleged, the Opposition leader's microphone was repeatedly switched off.

"In Parliament, Amit Shah controls the Leader of Opposition's microphone. A debate outside would allow Gandhi to speak freely and put his questions directly to the Prime Minister," he said.

Tagore also questioned the government's willingness to engage with the Opposition in the House, saying that an entire session had been washed out because Shah refused to make a statement on the alleged use of pellet guns against protesting students.

The Congress leader pointed out that during the previous winter session of Parliament, sustained Opposition protests had forced the government to agree to a broader discussion on electoral reforms after demands for a separate debate on SIR.

"The government insisted that SIR cannot be discussed as it comes under the purview of the Election Commission," he said.

During the discussion, Gandhi accused the BJP of manipulating elections in collusion with the Election Commission and called for electoral reforms. Opposition leaders also demanded changes to the selection process for election commissioners and questioned the conduct of the voter-roll revision.