Ritwik Bhattacharya

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. Just yesterday, Home Minister Shri @AmitShah offered a special session to debate SIR and EVMs. Why not show the same enthusiasm for a debate in Parliament that you show while issuing challenges on social media? Demanding answers also carries an obligation to hear them. There have been several occasions when you and your party have walked out of Parliament while the government was responding to your allegations. How do you claim to be so eager for a debate when you don’t even stay to hear the other side? It doesn’t stop at walkouts. You and the INDI Alliance have repeatedly disrupted proceedings, leading to entire sittings being washed out. If you are so keen on debating, why not allow Parliament to function in the first place? And then there’s the mock Parliament you recently held at the Congress President’s residence. Frankly, that was more a ‘mockery of Parliament’ than a ‘mock Parliament’. You found the time and enthusiasm for that exercise. Surely, the real Parliament deserves at least as much. You speak endlessly about protecting democracy and the Constitution. But that respect should also reflect in how you treat the institutions they have established. As for the issues you frivolously raise, bring specific allegations and evidence to back them up. Simply throwing together a long list of accusations doesn’t make your case any stronger. As LoP, you are expected to show some seriousness and responsibility. You say, “Daro mat.” Then bring the facts, face the scrutiny and stay to hear the answers. In the House, uphold the standards of debate you demand from others.