Union minister Jayant Sinha challenges Rahul Gandhi for a debate on Ramgarh lynching

NEW DELHI: Union minister

Jayant Sinha

on Thursday challenged Rahul Gandhi for a debate after the Congress chief criticized him for felicitating eight men convicted of lynching.


Defending his action, the union minister said that the Congress chief's criticism was a personal attack on him. "He (Rahul) has questioned and criticised my education, my values, and my humanity. I challenge him for a live debate either in Hindi or English," Sinha tweeted.



Earlier, Rahul had supported a petition seeking the removal of Sinha's Harvard alumni status.

"If the sight of a highly educated MP and Central Minister, Jayant Sinha, garlanding and honouring criminals convicted of lynching an innocent man, fills you with disgust, click on the link & support this petition," Rahul said in a tweet on Tuesday as he tagged a link to the Change.org petition.


The petition was floated after the minister of civil aviation was seen welcoming a group of eight men who were convicted of a lynching an innocent man by a fast-track court. They were later granted bail by Jharkhand High Court.

The petition — filed by a Prateek Kanwal, who is understood to be a Harvard alumni — urged the President of Harvard University to revoke Sinha's alumni status. In his petition, Kanwal says that the action of the minister has "shocked the nation" and "brought disrepute to our great institution".

Today, Sinha defended his action and said that it is not his intention to support or promote violent activities and if a message is getting conveyed (that I support these actions), then I regret it.

Sinha further added that the matter is sub judice and it will not be proper to comment on it.

"I request all the people interested in this matter to study the documents and then frame and opinion," he wrote.

Following the controversy, Sinha had defended his action saying that "all he is honouring the due process of law".


While the Congress chief is yet to respond on Jayant's challenge, Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha accepted Sinha's challenge later in the day and even invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to debate him.

"Mr Sinha, I am ready to debate with either Narendra Modi Ji or yourself anytime, any day, any place. Choose your TV channel and anchor, my friend. Over to you," Jha tweeted.

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