Sibal proposes uninterrupted Modi–Rahul question-and-answer exchange in Parliament

• Kapil Sibal proposes an uninterrupted question-and-answer exchange between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi in Parliament.

• He questions Amit Shah’s apparent shift from opposing a parliamentary debate on electoral roll revision to offering a special session.

• The proposal follows Gandhi’s repeated debate challenges and BJP criticism of his approach.

Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal on Saturday proposed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi question each other directly in Parliament, with no interruptions from other members.

The suggestion comes amid Gandhi’s repeated challenges to Modi for an open debate and a dispute over whether Parliament should discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Addressing a press conference, Sibal said the prime minister and the Leader of the Opposition should sit across from each other and exchange questions for as long as necessary.

“Let the Prime Minister question the Leader of the Opposition and let the Leader of the Opposition question the Prime Minister,” he said, calling for an uninterrupted discussion on key issues.

Sibal also challenged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to explain what he described as a reversal in the government’s position on a parliamentary debate on SIR.

According to Sibal, Shah had told Parliament in December last year that electoral roll revision was an Election Commission matter in which the government had no role. On Thursday, however, Shah said the government was open to convening a special parliamentary session to discuss it.

“Why this sudden change of stance? If you are now willing to call a session, does that mean SIR is indeed your responsibility?” Sibal asked.

He said Shah should explain the difference between his earlier remarks in Parliament and his recent suggestion that Gandhi write to the prime minister seeking a special session.

Sibal also accused the government of restricting opposition participation in parliamentary proceedings through interruptions and muted microphones. His proposed format, he said, would allow the two leaders to put questions to each other without other MPs intervening.

He further claimed that Modi had avoided answering questions in the House during his 12 years in office and described the proposed exchange as an opportunity to establish a historic precedent.

The intervention follows an increasingly sharp exchange between Gandhi and BJP leaders over his demand for a public debate with Modi.

On Tuesday, Gandhi challenged the prime minister to debate his accusation that the opposition was “anti-national”. He also asked why Modi had not filed a defamation case against him over his claims about the prime minister’s foreign connections.

Gandhi had accused Modi of holding office with foreign assistance, responding to the prime minister’s charge that opposition parties were seeking outside help to destabilise the country.

BJP leaders have dismissed Gandhi’s challenges. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Parliament already provided a venue for debate and urged him to demonstrate seriousness and responsibility as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Sibal’s proposal would place the exchange within Parliament while giving Modi and Gandhi an opportunity to question one another directly.

With PTI inputs