New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday renewed his debate challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He tied it to Modi’s ‘Dimagi Naxals’ remark at a Diwali address to Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in Bastar. Gandhi also addressed the jawans directly. He claimed their expressions showed that they did not accept the Prime Minister’s claims.
In a post on X, Gandhi tagged the official CRPF account and shared a clip of Modi’s speech. He said he was ready to debate the Prime Minister anywhere, at any time. Further, he dared Modi to say publicly who was acting against the national interest and who was under foreign influence. According to Gandhi, Modi would not be able to face security personnel after such a debate.
This was Gandhi’s sixth reported challenge in eight days. The latest round followed Modi’s visit to a CRPF camp in Bastar on 8 November. There, the Prime Minister celebrated Diwali with personnel serving against Left-wing extremism.
Dear @crpfindia,
Your faces said it all: you didn’t buy the PM’s lies.
He called us Naxals.
My challenge stands. Let him debate me on who is anti-national and who is controlled by foreign forces. Any time, any place.
My guarantee: after the debate, the PM won’t have the guts to stand in front of a single jawan again.
प्रिय @crpfindia के जवानों,
आपके चेहरों ने सब बता दिया – आपको प्रधानमंत्री के झूठ पर भरोसा नहीं।
उन्होंने हमें नक्सली कहा।
मेरी चुनौती क़ायम है। वो मुझसे बहस करें – देशद्रोही कौन है और विदेशी ताक़तों के इशारे पर कौन चल रहा है। कोई भी समय, किसी भी जगह।
मेरी गारंटी: उस बहस के बाद प्रधानमंत्री में एक भी जवान के सामने खड़े होने की हिम्मत नहीं होगी।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 9, 2026
What prompted the Rahul Gandhi debate challenge
In his address, Modi said armed Maoist groups had grown weaker. However, he added that their ideological supporters still operated inside political parties and other institutions. These elements, he alleged, were trying to turn people against the Constitution and democratic structures. Modi did not name Gandhi.
Even so, Gandhi’s response shifted the focus away from the anti-Maoist campaign. Instead, the row became a broader argument over patriotism and the use of national-security language in politics. Gandhi’s reading of the jawans’ expressions, however, remains a political claim. No independent source has verified it.
The BJP has stood by the Prime Minister. On Monday, senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan urged citizens to reject ‘Dimagi Naxals’. He accused them of trying to block India’s development through instability.
