New Delhi: BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Tuesday strongly criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks against union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu in Parliament, calling them “shameful” and an insult to the Sikh community.
Sirsa said Gandhi used unacceptable language and referred to Bittu as a “traitor”, which he condemned in strong words.
The statement came after a video circulated on social media showing a verbal exchange between Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition, and union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu inside Parliament earlier in the day.
According to sources, during a demonstration ahead of the day’s proceedings, Rahul Gandhi referred to Bittu as a “traitor friend”. In response, Bittu called Gandhi a “desh ke dushman” (enemy of the nation).
“A Sikh can never be a traitor. This statement is deeply embarrassing,” Sirsa said.
He alleged that if anyone had betrayed the nation, it was the Gandhi family, accusing them of being responsible for the attack on Sri Darbar Sahib, the demolition of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, and the killing of innocent Sikhs during the 1980s.
“This is an insult to Sikhs and it will not be tolerated. The poison of the 1980s is still present in the Congress mindset,” Sirsa said.
He urged the Speaker to take immediate action against Rahul Gandhi.
Bittu, a three-time Member of Parliament and currently Minister of State for Railways, had joined the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections after leaving the Congress.
