The Newshour Debate: Why's opposition edgy?

A crowd of 20,000 at the Madison Square Garden in New York and 16,000 at the Sydney Storm at the All Phones Arena. Congress and especially senior leader Salman Khurshid feel, such crowds are usually flown from India to shout slogans on foreign soil. Khurshid, former External Affairs Minister, referred Modi's address to the Indian diaspora in Nay Pyi Taw three days back and questioned how a crowd of 20,000 people gathered in the Myanmarese capital where streets are generally empty. He also made light of Modi's much-hyped event in Madison Square Garden in New York in September, saying it was a not a big deal to ensure a gathering in the US. "Yahan se logon ko le ja kar nare lagwa rahe hain (Modi is taking people from here for slogan-shouting abroad)," Khurshid told reporters in Farukhabad in Uttar Pradesh. "I have been to Nay Pyi Taw twice. No one is found on the streets there. Then how come 20,000 people came to listen to him (Modi)? He must have taken along many with him," he said.

Making light of Modi's Madison Square Garden event of September, Khurshid said, "In USA, organising 20,000 people and making them shouting slogans is not a big deal." He said that, "Taking Indians (abroad) and addressing NRIs, will not help.... India will benefit if he (Modi) influences American leaders and American people... Here (in India) he has already influenced people)." We did the math, Mr Khurshid and if your right, the BJP may have spent nearly Rs 300 crore flying down the 'sourced' crowd as you call it. It's a ridiculous charge and the Congress has no proof to back it tonight. Is it edgy or is it just a case of sour grapes?

In a debate moderated by TIMES NOW's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, panelists -- GVL Narasimha Rao, Nat'l Spokesperson & Member Electoral Reforms, BJP; Dr Ajoy Kumar, Spokesperson, Congress; Manoj Ladwa, Chief Executive Officer, MLS Chase and Prof. Kamal Mitra Chenoy, Professor, Centre for Comparative Politics & Political Theory, JNU -- discuss whether aft