Rahul calls union min ‘traitor’, latter snaps back with ‘desh ke dushman’

NEW DELHI, Feb 4: Hours after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hurled a “traitor” barb at Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, the BJP on Wednesday kicked up a firestorm over the remark, calling it a “slur on every Sikh”, and demanded the Lok Sabha speaker take action against the Leader of Opposition.
Reacting to the remark made when Bittu crossed Gandhi’s path at the entrance of the new Parliament building, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the Congress leader had crossed all limits of civility.
The BJP fielded its Sikh leaders, including Puri and Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, to accuse the Congress of harbouring the same “anti-Sikh mentality” that was on display at the height of the anti-Sikh riots of 1984.
Sirsa said the “real traitor” was the Gandhi family that desecrated the Golden Temple in Amritsar with tanks and guns and burnt Sikhs alive by putting tyres around their necks. Bittu, a three-time MP from Ludhiana and Anandpur Sahib, is serving as the Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries. He switched to the BJP from the Congress ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
While Bittu was entering Parliament on Wednesday morning, Gandhi called him “a traitor” as the minister retorted with “desh ke dushman” (enemy of the nation) jibe, The incident took place right outside Parliament’s Makar Dwar, the main entrance which MPs take to enter the new Parliament building, where Gandhi was standing in solidarity with suspended Congress MPs, mostly from Punjab, who were protesting on the stairs.
Seeing them, Bittu said, “They (suspended Congress MPs) are sitting here as if they have won a war.” Gandhi said, “The thing is, here is a traitor walking right by. Take a look at the face. How he looks.” Gandhi then extended his hand towards Bittu for a handshake, and said, “Hello brother, my traitor friend. Don’t worry, you will come back (to the Congress).” Bittu, however, refused the hand shake and said, “Desh ke dushman,” pointing at Gandhi. (PTI)