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Congress has ‘hatred’ towards Sikhs, Modi on Rahul’s ‘traitor’ remark
Says Rahul did not call others who left Cong traitors, but he said it to Bittu because he is a Sikh; this is an insult to Sikhs and Gurus
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday came out in defence of BJP leader and Union minister of state Ravneet Singh Bittu, who was called “my traitor friend” by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and accused the Congress of having “hatred” for Sikhs.
The PM launched a sharp attack on the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, calling the “traitor” remark an insult to the Sikh community and a reflection of Congress’ “arrogance at its peak”.
Speaking during the debate in the Upper House, PM Modi referred to the incident involving the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, who called Ravneet Bittu a “traitor” outside Parliament after the latter quit the Congress and joined the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“What happened yesterday — the ‘Yuvraj’ of Congress, who has a ‘shaatir dimaag’ called a member of this House a traitor. His arrogance is at its peak. He did not call others who left Congress traitors, but he said it to this MP because he is a Sikh. This is an insult to Sikhs, an insult to the Gurus. This shows the hatred Congress carries,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister questioned how a political shift could justify branding someone anti-national. “Just because someone changed ideology, he becomes a traitor? This is not a small word. How can the country tolerate a citizen being called a traitor?” he asked, adding that such behaviour would only push Congress further into decline. “Such people will sink Congress,” the PM added.
The row erupted after Rahul Gandhi and Union minister of state for railways Ravneet Singh Bittu had a verbal exchange near the Makar Dwar of Parliament. Rahul said: “Here is a traitor walking right by. Look at the face,” and later added, “Hello, brother, my traitor friend. Don’t worry, you will come back.” Bittu refused to shake hands and shot back, calling Rahul “desh ke dushman.”
Modi further broadened his attack on the Congress, accusing it of betraying farmers, delaying development and lacking the will to implement projects.
“Congress’ working style has been — delay, obstruct, confuse. They only know the jeep and mule model,” he said, referring to outdated decision-making.
The PM said his government was correcting the damage left behind. “Our considerable energy is going into washing away the image of their era. They left the country in the same condition, and now we are moving forward on policy. The world is trusting India because today the country has boarded the Reform Express,” he told the House.
Highlighting farmer welfare, PM Modi said the Congress ignored small farmers despite India having nearly 10 crore cultivators with less than two hectares of land. “We felt their pain, understood the ground realities and brought PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. In a short time, we have transferred ₹4 lakh crore directly into farmers’ accounts,” he said.
BJP leaders hold protest against Rahul
BARNALA: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday held a protest in Barnala against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his “traitor” remark against Union minister of state Ravneet Singh Bittu. The BJP leaders also demanded legal action against Rahul if he fails to apologise to Bittu. Speaking on the occasion, BJP leader Yadvinder Shetti said the Congress had always been against Sikhs.
SAD takes swipe at Rahul, Bittu
Chandigarh: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) took a jibe at both Rahul Gandhi and Ravneet Singh Bittu for their remarks against each other and said they “expose” the level of maturity of these political leaders.
Reacting to the incident, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal took a swipe at Gandhi and Bittu, and said: “I feel both are correct.” SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema said the level of political leadership in the country could only be pitied after seeing what happened between Rahul and Bittu.
“It exposes the level of maturity these political leaders have,” he further said, adding, “The issues of the people need to be discussed in Parliament. Such incidents do not deserve any importance.”On the BJP’s accusation that Gandhi insulted the entire Sikh community, Cheema asserted that personal disputes should not be made the issue of the ‘qaum’ (Sikh community).
