The Impressive TimesNew Delhi – Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries Ravneet Singh Bittu has accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of losing his temper and moving towards him aggressively during a verbal confrontation outside Parliament earlier this week.
Speaking to reporters in Amritsar on Saturday, Bittu reacted strongly to Rahul Gandhi allegedly calling him a “traitor” near Parliament’s Makar Dwar. Bittu claimed the Congress leader had to be restrained by senior party members K.C. Venugopal and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa as he approached him in anger.
The exchange took place on February 4 when Rahul Gandhi was standing on the steps of the new Parliament building in solidarity with suspended Congress MPs, most of whom were from Punjab. As Bittu entered the complex, sharp words were traded between the two leaders, with Bittu reportedly responding by calling Gandhi an “enemy of the nation.”
Bittu said he found Gandhi’s behaviour unbecoming of a leader from a prominent political family. He added that while ideological differences are common in politics, personal attacks cross a line.
The Union Minister also clarified that he did not abandon the Congress mid-term, stating that he completed three terms as a Congress MP before later joining the BJP. He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leadership for publicly backing him following the incident.
Taking aim at the Congress, Bittu questioned the party’s criticism of leaders who switch sides, pointing out that former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and ex-state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu had also joined the Congress after being associated with other parties.
Bittu further criticised Punjab Congress leaders Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, and former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi for attacking him after the Parliament episode. He alleged that both Randhawa and Warring failed to secure victories for their spouses in recent by-elections.
Additionally, Bittu accused the Congress of neglecting the legacy of his grandfather, former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, who was assassinated in 1995, by not awarding him the Bharat Ratna, while conferring the honour on former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.
Ravneet Singh Bittu joined the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and currently serves as a Rajya Sabha MP. He was inducted as a Minister of State in the third term of the Narendra Modi-led government.
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