Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have been invited to a public debate on the Lok Sabha Elections by two retired judges and a senior journalist.
Justice Madan B Lokur, former judge at the Supreme Court of India, Justice Ajit P Shah, former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, and N Ram, former Editor in Chief of The Hindu have extended the invitation.
"..we respectfully request the two of you, as leading voices from the two sides that seek the peoples' mandate, to a public debate with each other on the key issues of this election," says the invite that has been shared on social media.
"As members of the public, we are concerned that we have heard only allegations and challenges from either side and not heard any meaningful responses. As we are aware, today's digital world carries with it the propensity for misinformation, misrepresentation and manipulation.
"In these circumstances, it is fundamentally important to ensure that the public is well educated about all aspects of the debate so that they can make an informed choice of the ballots - this is central to the effective exercise of our electoral franchise," the invite notes.
The hosts have urged Modi and Gandhi to nominate a representative for the debate if either of them were unavailable. The leaders have also been told to pick their choice of "venue, duration, moderators, and format of debate".