The BJP on May 13, the BJP deputed its Yuva Morcha Vice President Abhinav Prakash, to debate Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a public forum. In a letter addressed to Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka BJP leader Tejasvi Surya said it would be “an enriching debate between a political scion and a common youngster.”
The announcement came a day after some retired justices had written to former Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, inviting them to a platform for a debate on the key Lok Sabha election issues.
Soon after Rahul Gandhi accepted the invitation for a debate with PM Modi, Tejasvi Surya said that the party could depute a Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha spokesperson to debate with him, but not the Prime Minister.
“Who is Rahul Gandhi, that PM Modi should debate with him? Rahul Gandhi isn’t even the PM candidate of the Congress Party, let alone the I.N.D.I Alliance. Let him first get himself declared as Congress’s PM candidate, state he will take accountability for his party’s defeat, and then invite PM for a debate. Until then, we are ready to depute our BJYM spokespersons to take him on in any debate,” the BJP leader said.
#WATCH | Mumbai: BJP MP Tejasvi Surya says, "Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wanted to debate with PM Modi. But debates are done with people of the same designation. In this case, Modi ji is the PM & the PM candidate from NDA. Rahul Gandhi is neither a PM candidate for Congress nor… https://t.co/stZrVd8Mcc pic.twitter.com/wsIgVPpOjR
— ANI (@ANI) May 13, 2024
However, the BJP turned down the debate invitation, stating that Rahul Gandhi did not have credentials even within the Congress , and hence, the Prime Minister had no reason to debate with him.
Accepting the invitation for a public debate with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha President Tejasvi Surya nominated BJYM’s Vice President Abhinav Prakash. He is from a Dalit caste, Pasi, which makes up a significant proportion of over 30% of the scheduled caste population in Raebareli where Rahul Gandhi is contesting in the current Lok Sabha election.
Elaborating on the credentials of Abhinav Prakash, he wrote in a letter, “He is not only distinguished leader within our youth wing but also an articulate spokesperson for the policies and reforms implemented by our government. An alumnus of Jawaharlal Nehru University and an assistant professor of economics at Delhi University’s Ramjas College, with previous teaching stints at SRCC, his profound understanding of social, economic, and political dynamics is poised to enrich the debate significantly.”
Dear Rahul Gandhi Ji,
BJYM has deputed Sri @Abhina_Prakash, our VP, to debate with you.
He is a young and educated leader from the Pasi (SC) community, who are around 30%, in Rae Baraeli.
It will be an enriching debate between a political scion and a common youngster who… pic.twitter.com/8FarSmqrQe
— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) May 13, 2024
Meanwhile, Abhinav Prakash took to X and said that he was looking forward to Rahul Gandhi agreeing to the debate.
BJYM National President @Tejasvi_Surya ji accepted Rahul Gandhi's challenge and nominated BJYM National Vice President @Abhina_Prakash.
I have been in DU for almost a decade & I have witnessed Abhinav Bhaiya’s outstanding understanding and activism on social , economic &… pic.twitter.com/XM4StSwsxS
— Akshit Dahiya (@AkshitDahiyaBJP) May 13, 2024
“I would like to thank Tejasvi Surya for deputing me to debate with Rahul Gandhi. I am looking forward to this debate. I am from Uttar Pradesh, and Rahul Gandhi and his family have represented the state for so long. I hope he doesn’t run away from the debate the way he ran away from Amethi; otherwise who knows, he will have to run away from Raebareli as well, in the next elections,” Abhinav Prakash told the media.
