Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industry Ravneet Singh Bittu took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday. For calling him a “traitor”, Earlier this week, Gandhi allegedly lost his temper and advanced towards him during an altercation outside Parliament.
NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi wearing a turban speaks to Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu during the budget session of Parliament in New Delhi on Wednesday, February 4, 2026. (PTI)Bittu also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leaders for standing by him after the incident.
Ravneet Singh Bittu reacts to ‘treasonous’ commentsSpeaking to the media in Amritsar, Bittu said he did not quit the Congress midway, stressing that he had completed his third term as a Congress MP before joining the BJP.
Referring to his exchange with Gandhi, Bittu said, “A balloon inside him (Gandhi) has burst. A man from a very big family, see what he is saying.” He added that Gandhi was offering a handshake, “thinking he was a ‘shahanshah’ (emperor)”.
Asked if Gandhi had degraded himself by attacking him, Bittu replied, “You can say that.” He further said that in politics we talk about ideals but not personal attacks.
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In response to another question, Bittu alleged that Gandhi had aggressively advanced towards him. “As I was going to Parliament, Gandhi was coming towards me in a fit of rage. He had one hand held by Congress leader KC Venugopal and the other by Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Randhawa. He became so violent, I don’t know what was wrong with him, only God knows,” claimed Bittu.
The clash took place on Wednesday morning near Makar Dwar, the main entrance of the new parliament building.
Bittu joined the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. A Rajya Sabha member, he was inducted as a minister in the third term of the Modi government.
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Also Read | ‘Here’s a traitor’: Rahul Gandhi’s comment on Bittu in Parliament sparks big debate
What happened?As Bittu was entering Parliament, Gandhi called him a “traitor”, to which the Union minister quipped “desh ke dushman” (enemy of the country).
At the time, Gandhi was standing on the steps outside Parliament in solidarity with suspended Congress MPs, most of them from Punjab.
The Congress leadership raised the questionThe Union Minister also questioned the Congress leadership over giving key posts to leaders of other parties. He asked which party Amarinder Singh came from when he became the Chief Minister of Punjab and Navjot Singh Sidhu when he was appointed as the Punjab Congress chief.
“Who was made (Punjab) Congress president? Navjot Singh Sidhu. Which party did he come from? Was he a Congressman?” he asked.
Bittu also targeted Punjab Congress leaders including Amarinder Singh Raja Waring, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi for criticizing him after the Parliament incident. He alleged that both Randhawa and Waring failed to ensure the victory of their wives in the by-elections.
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He also criticized the Congress for not awarding the Bharat Ratna to his grandfather, former Punjab Chief Minister Bayant Singh, who was killed in 1995. He said the party gave this honor to former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi but not to Bayant Singh.
