PM Modi attacks 'yuvraj' Rahul Gandhi over 'traitor' remark on Ravneet Bittu, slams 'insult' to Sikhs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has torn into Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his ‘traitor’ remark at Union Minister of State (MoS) for Railways, Ravneet Singh Bittu, outside Parliament, saying this was an ‘insult’ to the Sikh community. PM Modi described Rahul Gandhi as the party’s “shatir dimaag wale yuvraj” and said his arrogance has reached its peak.

PM Modi said, “What happened yesterday - the 'Yuvraj' of Congress, who has 'shaatir dimag' (cunning mind), called an MP of this House 'traitor'. His arrogance is at its peak. He did not call anyone else who has left the Congress a traitor. But he called the MP a traitor, because he is a Sikh. This was an insult to the Sikhs, an insult to the Gurus.”

“This was an expression of the hatred for Sikhs that is filled in the Congress...He is a member of the family who sacrificed themselves for the country. Just because he changed his political ideology, he became a traitor? This is not a small word. How can the country tolerate a citizen being called a traitor? This is highly unfortunate. Such people will sink Congress.”

What did Rahul Gandhi say to Ravneet Bittu?

Rahul Gandhi and Ravneet Singh Bittu on Wednesday, 4 February, engaged in an exchange of words outside Parliament, with the Lok Sabha LoP calling Bittu a “traitor”. 

Also Read | Ravneet Singh Bittu booked for calling Rahul Gandhi ‘No 1 terrorist’: ‘Why should I regret…?’

The incident happened when some Congress MPs were staging a protest at Makar Dwar outside Parliament. The exchange of words began when Ravneet Bittu commented on the protesting MPs, saying, “They are sitting as if they won a war,” ANI reported.

Just as Ravneet Bittu passed by, Rahul Gandhi referred to him as a “traitor” while extending his hand for a handshake.

Raveent Bittu quit the Congress and switched to the BJP just before the Lok Sabha election in 2024.

Rahul Gandhi said, "Here is a traitor walking right by. Look at the face." The Congress leader offered to shake his hands, saying, “Hello, brother, my traitor friend. Don't worry, you will come back (to Congress)."

The Union MoS refused to shake hands and called Rahul Gandhi, “Desh ke dushman [enemy of the state].”

The BJP MP later alleged that Rahul Gandhi behaved the same way inside the House. “When I was going in, he did the same thing even inside the House. The Speaker sent them out. They behaved like a 'sadak ka gunda' even outside. The Gandhi family has always targeted Sikhs and turbans…We are all colleagues who meet every day. Rahul Gandhi is LoP, but I do not know what happened to him, what personal anger he has in him. He told me, you will come back to me again. He attempted to shake hands with me,” Bittu said.

“I was good for you as long as I was with you [in Congress]. Now that I am in the BJP, you started disliking me. But how can you say that for me? How can you say that I will come back to you? When I responded to him...if you see the video, he wanted to escalate it to manhandling me….Haath milata hai meri jutti [Shake hands, my foot]. He tried to come after me, but his MPs stopped him. You can see it in the video,” the BJP leader added.