Varanasi: Four days ahead of ninth and final phase of Lok Sabha elections, Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday invited Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for an open discussion.
Kejriwal and Modi are pitted against each other in Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, which will go to polls on May 12. Congress's Ajay Rai is also contesting.
Commenting on the controversy over denial of permission to BJP to hold rallies in Varanasi, Kejriwal asked the Gujarat Chief Minister why was he politicising the issue of prayer rituals at the Ganga when the Election Commission has given him the permission for 'Ganga Aarti'.
Showing a letter from the Election Commission which gave Modi permission to perform 'Ganga Aarti', Kejriwal added, "To perform rituals, there is no need of permission from EC. Permission from EC is required only for political activities."
The AAP chief added that the presence of BJP's top brass in Varanasi shows their nervousness.
On microblogging website Twitter, Kejriwal tweeted:
I invite Mr Modi for an open discussion on a public platform. Let Kashi people ask straight questions from both of us. Time place his choice
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 8, 2014
(zee news)