Dilip Ghosh on Rahul Gandhi's debate challenge to PM Modi: 'Statements to stay relevant'
Synopsis
BJP's Dilip Ghosh brushed off Rahul Gandhi's renewed debate challenge to PM Modi as a 'media attention' tactic, calling such statements 'meaningless'. The remarks come as Gandhi escalated his 'anti-national' debate offer following Modi's 'dimagi Naxal' allegation — and as Delhi Police served a notice on Mamata Banerjee in a 13-year-old case, adding more political heat to an already charged week.
Key Takeaways
West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh on 10 November called Rahul Gandhi 's debate challenge to PM Modi a tactic 'to stay relevant' with no public impact.
Rahul Gandhi had renewed his open challenge to debate Modi on who was 'anti-national', saying it could happen 'any time, any place'.
Gandhi's remarks followed PM Modi 's Bastar speech on Sunday alleging 'dimagi Naxals' had infiltrated political parties.
Delhi Police served a notice to former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee under Section 160 CrPC in connection with a 2013 case; she was called as a witness , not an accused.
Ghosh also defended the arrest of TMC MLA Paresh Ram Das , saying serious allegations must be investigated regardless of political standing.
West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh on Tuesday, 10 November dismissed Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's repeated challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a public debate, saying the Congress leader makes such statements purely to remain relevant in the political discourse. Ghosh's remarks came from New Town in West Bengal, a day after Gandhi renewed his open challenge to Modi.
The Challenge and the Context
Gandhi had on Monday launched a fresh offensive against Prime Minister Modi, renewing his challenge to debate the PM on who was 'anti-national' and who was 'controlled by foreign forces', saying the debate could take place 'any time, any place'. Gandhi's remarks were themselves a response to Modi's remarks during his visit to Chhattisgarh's Bastar on Sunday, where the PM alleged that ideological supporters of the Naxal movement — whom he described as 'dimagi Naxals' — had infiltrated political parties and organisations to instigate people against the Constitution and democracy.
What Dilip Ghosh Said
Speaking to reporters, Ghosh was pointed in his dismissal. 'Rahul Gandhi makes such statements to stay relevant. He disappears for two to four months and then suddenly returns with statements to get media attention. These statements have no impact on the public. Such remarks are meaningless,' he said. The minister, who represents the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal, framed Gandhi's challenge as a recurring political tactic rather than a substantive political intervention.
Ghosh on TMC MLA Arrest and Mamata Banerjee Notice
Ghosh also addressed two separate developments in West Bengal politics. Reacting to the arrest of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Paresh Ram Das, he argued that elected representatives — including MLAs, MPs, and ministers — had faced arrest before and that serious allegations warranted investigation. 'Many leaders are also in jail, and they are all criminals. Numerous complaints have been filed against them. Since they were in power, no action was taken,' he said.
On Delhi Police visiting the Kolkata residence of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Ghosh said allegations against anyone must be probed regardless of their position. 'Regardless of who is involved, any allegations against them must be investigated by the government and the police,' he stated.
Delhi Police Notice to Mamata Banerjee
On Monday, Delhi Police served Mamata Banerjee a notice under Section 160 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in connection with a 2013 case registered at Delhi's Parliament Street Police Station. A police officer reached her residence at 30B, Harish Chatterjee Street in Kalighat, Kolkata. Notably, Banerjee has not been summoned as an accused — she has been called as a witness or a person with knowledge of the incident, with police seeking her statement to advance the 13-year-old case.
What This Points To
The exchange underscores a pattern of intensifying political rhetoric between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress, with the 'debate challenge' format having featured regularly in recent electoral cycles. With assembly elections in multiple states on the horizon, the BJP's response strategy of dismissing Gandhi as a periodic attention-seeker rather than engaging with his challenge reflects a deliberate political calculus. The Delhi Police notice to Banerjee adds another front of political contestation, though investigators are yet to confirm the full scope of the 2013 case in question.
Point of View
Which is rooted in Modi's 'dimagi Naxal' framing — a genuinely consequential allegation about political infiltration. The BJP's preferred playbook is to question Gandhi's consistency rather than engage his argument, which risks normalising the 'anti-national' label as an acceptable political weapon. The Delhi Police notice to Mamata Banerjee — however legally routine — in the same news cycle invites questions about the timing, even if investigators insist it is procedural. What is missing from the mainstream coverage is a scrutiny of the original 2013 case and why it has remained unresolved for over a decade.
NationPress
10 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Rahul Gandhi's debate challenge to PM Modi about?
Rahul Gandhi renewed his challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a public debate on who was 'anti-national' and who was 'controlled by foreign forces', saying the debate could take place 'any time, any place'. The challenge was a direct response to Modi's remarks in Bastar on Sunday about 'dimagi Naxals' infiltrating political parties.
Why did Dilip Ghosh dismiss Rahul Gandhi's challenge?
West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh said Gandhi makes such statements to gain media attention after going missing from public discourse for months, calling the remarks 'meaningless' with no impact on the public. Ghosh framed it as a recurring tactic rather than a genuine political engagement.
What is the Delhi Police notice to Mamata Banerjee about?
Delhi Police served Mamata Banerjee a notice under Section 160 of the CrPC in connection with a 2013 case registered at Delhi's Parliament Street Police Station. Banerjee has been called as a witness or a person with knowledge of the incident — not as an accused — to help take the 13-year-old case forward.
Who is Paresh Ram Das and why was he arrested?
Paresh Ram Das is a Trinamool Congress MLA whose arrest Dilip Ghosh commented on, arguing that elected representatives including MLAs, MPs and ministers have faced arrest before and that serious allegations must be investigated regardless of political affiliation. Specific details of the charges were not elaborated upon by Ghosh.
What did PM Modi say about 'dimagi Naxals' in Bastar?
During his visit to Chhattisgarh's Bastar on Sunday, PM Modi alleged that ideological supporters of the Naxal movement — whom he described as 'dimagi Naxals' — had infiltrated political parties and organisations to instigate people against the Constitution and democracy. These remarks triggered Gandhi's renewed debate challenge.
