Why is Narendra Modi not ready to debate me: Kapil Sibal to NDTV

New Delhi: In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Law Minister Kapil Sibal accuses BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi of "not telling the truth" to the people of the country. He also challenges Mr Modi to debate with him.

Following are the highlights of the interview:

• UPA has done nothing in the last 10 years - that is what they (BJP) claim. I have given indications from every aspect of economic life that we are far, far better than NDA
• I am saying that you (Narendra Modi) are an excellent orator, anybody who sprouts the untruth is an excellent orator
• I want to deal with him on facts
• I want to tell the people of this country that UPA has done 10 times better than NDA
• No leader of the BJP has contested these figure
• We are talking about Modi, not what Goldman Sachs thinks of Modi
• Higher rate of growth is not a model of development
• Has he talked about education, health, coal sector
• People of India should ask Nirantar virdohi (Narendra Modi) what is the model of growth
• What is the Gujarat model?
• I am talking about overall reduction of poverty in Gujarat
• He has done a good job in Gujarat by winning elections three times, good for him
• We are now challenging what he is tom-tomming to the nation
• I will debate Arun Jaitley whenever and wherever he wants
• But at the moment I am challenging Nirantar vordhi right now
• He does everything in a controlled environment, including all the speeches he makes
• I am now charging Modi for even the pictures that he gives you, comes from him. Even you can't employ cameras at his speeches
• Our leaders do not tell lies to the people of this country
• My charge is he doesn't tell the truth to the people of this country. My leaders have never falsified facts
• He said China spends 20 per cent of its GDP on education which is an absolute lie
• I speak for the Congress party, it is a battle of ideologies
• UPA policies are before the people of this country, demonstrated everything we have done for India
• UPA has built the future of India, he looks to his own future and makes false allegations
• Security issues are something which the Home Ministry has to deal with
• My government is responsible to ensure to give security that matches the level of threat
• (On opinion polls) The turn-around has been done by the BJP
• I have the document of 2004
• Election Commission said that the unanimous decision to ban (reads out from the document) - signed by BJP Mr Vijay Kumar Malhotra
• Why did they believe that opinion polls should not be published in 2004 and why now?
• What has the BJP done when they were in power? What did they do to Tehelka? What did Chandan Mitra say about Amartya Sen because he criticized Modi? What did they do to Krishna Murthy?
• We can demonstrate on the ground, what the BJP has done against people?
• This government has not banned opinion polls till date, and can't accuse us of being anti-freedom of expression
• It's the BJP which has demonstrated year after year (on freedom of expression)
• The boot is on the other leg, that party is known for its intolerance
• We are in the midst of an election
• Can't get certificate of expression from me
• He is fighting an election on the basis of a political party...good luck to him
• If your opinion polls that are doing the round are right or wrong
• We are going to win in Delhi...we are confident, because we have done so much
• Delhi is way ahead when compared to Gujarat
• These are not models, these are numbers of growth
• I think Nirantar Virodhi doesn't even understand all this, he just spouts figures