Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has once again challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a public debate, claiming that he can prove in five minutes that the PM is anti-national and that he is influenced by US President Donald Trump.

Rahul Gandhi Challenges Narendra Modi to Debate

Speaking at a Congress 'Insaaf Rally’ in Sangrur, Punjab on November 4, Rahul Gandhi said that PM Modi should take him up on his offer to debate in public. He said that the Prime Minister can hold the debate anywhere, in any TV studio or with any moderator.

"I am ready to sit across the table with him and debate these allegations of being anti-national, foreign influence and the India-US trade deal. We can even bring in RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Gautam Adani to act as our moderators," he said.

Rahul Gandhi Claims Modi is Influenced by Donald Trump

Rahul Gandhi claimed that Prime Minister Modi is acting under pressure from US President Donald Trump and that the India-US trade deal was signed without proper consultation with the Union Cabinet or high level government officials.

He also claimed that it could harm Indian farmers, small and medium sized businesses and data. He also questioned how Modi would respond to Trump’s constant claims regarding his involvement in preventing the India-Pakistan conflict.

These are political allegations.

Congress Leader Criticises BJP for Wanting Parliamentary Debate

• Rahul Gandhi also criticised the BJP for wanting a special session of parliament to debate the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
• "We don’t seem to want to have a discussion. Our leaders aren’t getting enough of a say in parliament. I’ve had my mic turned off when trying to bring up key issues," he said.
• This comes after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the government were willing to have a special parliamentary debate.

Rahul Gandhi Questions Adani Case in US

He also questioned the legal processes surrounding industrialist Gautam Adani in the United States. He alleged that there was a link between the Adani case and India-US trade deal and questioned if the US administration had influenced the outcome.

These are allegations made by Gandhi.

Congress Launches Punjab Election Campaign

The rally in Sangrur was also to mark the start of the Congress campaigning for the upcoming 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. Rahul Gandhi spoke about issues such as farmers’ welfare, unemployment, drug abuse and small and medium sized industry development.

He called for more action to be taken regarding drug trafficking, more employment opportunities and better support for farmers.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and a number of senior party leaders were present. The party feel confident they can boost their position in Punjab.

Political Tension Between Congress and BJP Increases

Rahul Gandhi’s latest challenge has increased the tension between the Congress and BJP. The allegations of foreign influence, India-US trade deal and anti-national are now key points of political discussion.

Whether PM Narendra Modi will accept the challenge of having a face to face debate will be interesting to see but these latest comments are sure to increase political discussion ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.