'When PM Modi agrees to participate': Congress' Rahul Gandhi accepts invite for public debate on LS polls

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Saturday officially acknowledged the invitation to engage in a public debate with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Lok Sabha elections 2024. The invitation came from former Supreme Court judge Madan B Lokur, former High Court Chief Justice AP Shah, and senior journalist N Ram. The trio penned a letter inviting both PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi to participate in a public debate concerning the critical issues of the upcoming 2024 elections.

In the letter dated May 9, the trio highlighted the barrage of allegations and counter-allegations exchanged by both sides. "We believe that citizens would hugely benefit by hearing directly from our political leaders through a public debate on a non-partisan and non-commercial platform," it said.

The following day, Rahul Gandhi responded with his acceptance of the debate invitation, stating that either he or Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge would be pleased to participate in the debate.

“I have discussed your invitation with the Congress President, Mallikarjun Kharge. We agree that such a debate will help people understand our respective vision and enable them to make an informed choice. It is also critical to put to rest any unsubstantiated allegations attributed to our respective parties," the Congress candidate from Raebareli said.

“As the principal parties fighting the election, the public deserved to hear from their leaders directly. Accordingly, either myself or the Congress President would be pleased to participate in such a debate,” he added.

Rahul Gandhi specified that the details and format of the debate could be discussed further "if and when the Prime Minister agrees to participate."