CHANDIGARH: With over a year left for the Assembly elections in Punjab, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi's 'traitor jibe' at Union Minister of State ( Railways), Ravneet Singh Bittu has led to a political slugfest in Punjab.
The BJP is demanding action against Gandhi for insulting a Sikh.
Meanwhile, Punjab Congress president and Member of Parliament from Ludhiana, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, said that Bittu was a traitor as he had betrayed the Congress and the Gandhi family, who gave him everything.
Also, Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader in the State, Partap Singh Bajwa and a few other grand old party leaders echoed the same views.
Ashwani Sharma, Working President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Punjab, said that such remarks clearly expose Congress’s bankrupt mindset.
He said that instead of maintaining seriousness and dignity in politics, Rahul Gandhi is trying to cover up his failures by using abusive and provocative language.
Sharma remarked sarcastically that Congress does not need any Opposition party to finish it off, Rahul Gandhi alone is enough for the job.
He said that through statements and wrong policies, Rahul is hollowing out the party from within.
He said that the people of the country have understood the negative politics of Congress, and said that is the reason why the party is continuously facing defeats in elections.
He said that Bittu is working with full dedication for the development of the country and Punjab, and making derogatory remarks against him reflects the frustration prevailing among Congress.
He alleged that Congress has always diverted attention from issues of development and public welfare and instead adopted the path of personal attacks.
Also, BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh said that Rahul Gandhi’s statement is extremely unfortunate, condemnable, and an insult to democratic decorum.
"Using such language against an elected representative is not only personally insulting but also hurts the dignity of the Sikh community and the nation as a whole. The Congress leadership must understand that dignity and sensitivity in public life are essential responsibilities of political leaders,’’ he said.
Chugh said that the dark chapter of 1984 continues to remain a deep wound in the hearts of the nation, particularly the Sikh community.
He alleged that the country has not forgotten the role of the Congress party and the Nehru-Gandhi family during that period. Chugh said that Rahul Gandhi’s conduct reflects the same divisive mindset that has shaped Congress politics for decades.
He demanded that Rahul Gandhi apologise to the people of the country, particularly the Sikh community, for hurting their sentiments.
The BJP leader and Delhi cabinet minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa demanded that the Lok Sabha Speaker take action against Rahul Gandhi.
"The Gandhi family is the traitor for the way they bombed the Golden Temple, the way they killed Sikhs by wrapping tyres around their necks. The anti-Sikh mentality of Congress, as displayed in 1984, is intact,” he said.
Warring reminded Bittu that it was Rahul Gandhi who picked him up to contest the parliamentary elections from Anandpur Sahib in 2009, 2014 and 2019 from Ludhiana.
"The moment you left the Congress and joined the BJP, people showed you your place by throwing you out. What you think you have become today, it is all because of Rahul Gandhi”, he said.
He also reminded that it was Rahul who made him wear the turban. He dared Bittu to deny the fact that he started wearing the turban at Rahul’s behest.
Warring asked Bittu to introspect whether the BJP would have accepted him had he not been a three-time MP, which was possible because of the Congress party.
Warring also said, “Bittu was not only a traitor to the Congress and Gandhi family, but also to his grandfather, Beant Singh, who had laid down his life for protecting and safeguarding the unity and integrity of the country”.
Warring noted that although Bittu was trying to be loyal and please his new bosses in the BJP by abusing Rahul Gandhi, he (Bittu) would not take a minute to get back to the Congress if hefounds a benefit in doing so.
“As Rahul said, he will eventually feel desperate to come back to Congress, as people in the BJP are used to an expiry date”, he also remarked.
Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa wrote on X, "A traitor is someone who betrays their friends, country, or cause, someone who switches sides when it suits them. Rahul Gandhi called a spade a spade when he pointed out that Bittu betrayed the ideology of his parent party, the legacy of his grandfather, and the larger cause of a secular, united India."
"He owes his entire political existence to the Congress; biting the hand that fed him cannot be repackaged as patriotism. The BJP’s attempt to wrap this defection in the tricolour is nothing but a fig leaf for political opportunism. As Samuel Johnson rightly observed, 'Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.' No amount of chest-thumping can turn betrayal into bravery,’’ he also added.
Punjab Congress MLA and senior leader Pargat Singh said that Bittu was called a traitor as he had betrayed the Congress, and added that the BJP has the habit of twisting everything for political mileage.
Meanwhile, the ruling AAP and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) choose to remain silent spectators.
In a video statement, Bittu said that Rahul Gandhi called him a traitor and then stretched his hand for a handshake. "They act like monarchs, as if they own the world. But this is the hand of a Sardar which will never be extended for such people who have murdered Sikhs in 1984, who sent tanks to our holiest shrine and desecrated it,” Bittu said.
He added that Rahul was fine with him as long as he was in the Congress. "Now that I am with the BJP, I become a traitor. Fact is my own grandfather was killed by terrorists, and so his name has to be taken whenever the name of Rajiv Gandhi is taken, and that is a problem for them,” Bittu said.
