Indore's Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya auditorium turned into a political arena on Thursday afternoon, as a debate competition stunned the dignitaries in attendance.
Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava's son Sanghamitra, standing as opposition in the debate, fired questions on unkept promises of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train to the grim statistic of 20,000 deaths in rail accidents in the past decade.
Taking a jibe at plans to upgrade 400 railway stations into "airport-like" hubs, Sanghamitra said "only 20 have taken off". Sharing the audience's silence were the dignitaries on stage - Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar, and the Indore Mayor
Congress leader Digvijay Singh tweeted praises, calling Sanghamitra an "impressive speaker".
Mr Yadav downplayed the debate. "In debate competitions, one has to speak the role assigned. He got the role of opposition, so he spoke like the opposition," he explained, adding with a laugh, "Don't take it personally, or else the saying will fit a straw in the thief's beard."
Mr Bhargava clarified, "These were his own views. He spoke both for and against. The organizers rewarded him for his performance. Congress, as always, mistakes sports for politics and politics for sports."
