Nirmala Sitharaman

News India Xtra@newsIndiaxtra

Rahul Gandhi has again pressed PM Modi to join a face-to-face public debate, saying Modi would not remain prime minister afterwards. He made the remark during an Instagram Q&A on Friday.

Gandhi says he was not allowed to speak on farm laws, SIR and China, and that his mic was switched off. He wants a short exchange with no long speeches, and would accept Gautam Adani or Mohan Bhagwat as the judge.

The BJP has dismissed the challenge and accuses Gandhi of avoiding debates in Parliament, which Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman says is already available for discussion.

News India Xtra@newsIndiaxtra

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a planetarium in Mysuru on November 13, after 3 pm. The Rs 115 crore facility is billed as the world's first to use curved-screen technology.

It has two domes, each seating 150 to 160 visitors, and is expected to draw about five lakh people a year. Rs 5 crore came from Nirmala Sitharaman's MPLAD funds, with more from Swadesh Darshan and the Union science and technology ministry.

During the visit, Modi will also address around 10,000 people and join a Miyawaki forest project at K.C. Layout.