Sitharaman calls on Rahul Gandhi to debate SIR and EVMs in Parliament.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday challenged Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to debate the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and electronic voting machines (EVMs) in Parliament rather than issuing challenges on social media. In a post on X, Sitharaman pointed out that Home Minister Amit Shah had already offered to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss the two issues.

Her remarks came after Gandhi challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to an open debate over his allegation that the Opposition was being labelled anti-national. Gandhi also questioned why Modi had not filed a defamation case over his remarks concerning the Prime Minister’s alleged foreign connections. Responding to Gandhi, Sitharaman said Parliament was already an appropriate venue for the debate, particularly since he serves as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. She questioned why he showed greater enthusiasm for challenging the Prime Minister on social media than for participating in a discussion inside the House.

Referring to Shah’s offer, she urged Gandhi to present evidence, face scrutiny and remain in the House to hear the government’s response. She also called on him to maintain the standards of parliamentary debate that he expects from others. Sitharaman further accused Gandhi and his party of repeatedly walking out of Parliament when the government was responding to their allegations. She also criticised the INDIA bloc for disrupting proceedings and causing entire sittings to be lost.

Questioning Gandhi’s commitment to parliamentary debate, she asked why he and his alliance partners did not allow the House to function if they were genuinely interested in discussing important issues. The Finance Minister also criticised Gandhi for participating in a mock Parliament exercise at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence earlier this week. She remarked that the event appeared more like a “mockery of Parliament” than a mock Parliament, adding that the actual legislature deserved equal attention.

Sitharaman said Gandhi frequently speaks about defending democracy and the Constitution, but that commitment should also be reflected in his conduct towards constitutional institutions. She urged him to support his allegations with specific claims and evidence, saying that making a long list of accusations was not enough. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also criticised Gandhi in a post on X, saying: “Mr. Rahul Gandhi: Debating with himself since 2014! You are in a league of your own.”

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Bloomberg.