"Traitor Friend": Rahul Gandhi's Dig At BJP's Ravneet Bittu Sparks Huge Row

A verbal spat erupted between Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu at the Parliament this morning. During a demonstration before the day's proceedings, Gandhi referred to the former Congress leader as a "traitor friend." In his response, Bittu called Gandhi a "desh ke dushman (enemy of the nation)."

Bittu, a three-time MP and Union Minister of State (MoS) for Railways, had switched to the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The brief exchange occurred when the Congress MPs were protesting near the Makar Dwar. "Here is a traitor walking right by. Look at the face," Gandhi said as Bittu passed by. He then offered to shake hands with Bittu, saying, "Hello, brother. My traitor friend. Don't worry, you will come back (to Congress)."

#Watch | A verbal spat erupted between Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu at the Parliament this morning. During a demonstration before the day's proceedings, Gandhi referred to the former Congress leader as a "traitor." In his response,… pic.twitter.com/tveFmqVm1m

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"Desh ke dushman," the minister remarked, refusing to shake hands with Gandhi. The exchange followed his remark on the protesting MPs, that "they are sitting as if they won a war."

Clarifying why he snubbed the handshake offer from Gandhi, Bittu later slammed the Gandhi family over Operation Blue Star, a military offensive carried out in 1984 to flush out militants from the Golden Temple complex, and the anti-Sikh riots.

“When he extended his hand, I said, "You are traitors and the enemy of the nation who talk ill of the forces and the country every day. A sardar will never shake hands with the scion of the Gandhi family, the murderer of Sikhs",” Bittu said.

Speaking to NDTV, Bittu claimed that Gandhi tried to attack him.

"I don't know whether he was on drugs today. He targeted me and attacked," Bittu said, adding that he will consult with his party colleagues if Gandhi's behaviour warrants bringing a privilege motion against him.

Manjinder Singh Sirsa, a Sikh lawmaker and Delhi minister, condemned Gandhi's "traitor" remark against the Sikh minister (Bittu). "Rahul Gandhi and the Gandhi family are the traitors. Sikhs and sardars cannot be traitors. The remark reflects that there has been no change in the mindset of Congress," he said.

The Congress also tried to defend Gandhi, asserting that no other word suits a "betrayer." "What can we do when the Leader of the Opposition is not allowed to speak? Who made Bittu an MP? What else can we say about a betrayer?" said Amarinder Raja Warring, a Congress MP.

The Congress MPs had been protesting the suspension of eight Opposition members from the Lok Sabha earlier in the day. The eight MPs were suspended for the rest of the Budget Session for violating House rules and throwing papers at the chair.

These MPs include Congress members Hibi Eden, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Prashant Yadaorao Padole, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, and Dean Kuriakose, as well as CPM MP S Venkatesan.