A political row erupted outside Parliament on Wednesday after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was caught on camera calling Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu a “traitor,” drawing condemnation from senior
BJP leaders, including Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa.
The exchange took place at Parliament’s Makar Dwar, where Gandhi was standing with suspended Congress MPs when Bittu passed by and commented that the protesting legislators were sitting “as if they had won a war.”
Gandhi immediately hit back, saying, “Here is a traitor walking right by. Take a look at the face,” before extending his hand and adding, “Hello brother, my traitor friend. Don’t worry, you will come back (to the Congress).”
Bittu refused to shake hands and replied, “desh ke dushman” (enemy of the nation), pointing at Gandhi as he walked away.
PURI SLAMS RAHUL GANDHI
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri took to X to strongly criticise Gandhi’s remarks, describing them as crossing “all boundaries of civility, decency and dignity.”
“It is entirely possible that he holds a deep grudge against Bittu Ji for choosing the policies of Vikas espoused by the Modi government over the directionless Congress. But that cannot ever justify such a slur,” Puri wrote.
Explaining the implication of the term used, he added, “Calling someone a ‘traitor friend’ means he has betrayed his country. While Gandhi may have many friends who are traitors, Bittu is certainly not one of them.”
Puri said the remark amounted to an attack on the Sikh community and invoked the sacrifices associated with Sikh history.
“Calling a distinguished Sikh a traitor without any basis is a slur on the entire Sikh community,” he said.
Referring to Bittu’s family background, Puri mentioned his grandfather, former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, and added, “It is a slur on the sacrifice of Bittu Ji’s grandfather. Let us also not forget the desecration of the Golden Temple in 1984 with the same mindset.”
The way Shri Rahul Gandhi has addressed parliamentarian and respected Sikh leader Sardar Ravneet Singh Bittu Ji, as a ‘Traitor’ crosses all boundaries of civility, decency and dignity.
It is entirely possible that he holds a deep grudge against Bittu Ji for choosing the…
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) February 4, 2026
SIRSA SEEKS ACTION AGAINST GANDHI
Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa echoed the attack and demanded intervention by the Lok Sabha Speaker.
“I strongly condemn in the harshest terms the language used by Rahul Gandhi Ji today in Parliament, calling him a traitor. This statement is deeply shameful,” Sirsa said.
He added, “The kind of words used by Rahul Gandhi against a Sikh Minister, calling a Sikh Sardar ‘traitor’, I strongly condemn this. This is very shameful.”
Sirsa linked the controversy to events of the 1980s, alleging that the Congress party’s approach had not changed.
“If there is a traitor, it is the Gandhi family. We strongly condemn the sin you have committed, the insult you hurled at Sikhs,” he said.
“I would like to tell the Lok Sabha Speaker to immediately initiate action against Rahul Gandhi,” he added.
राहुल गांधी जी ने आज parliament में सिख मंत्री श्री रवनीत सिंह बिट्टू जी के खिलाफ जिस तरह की शब्दावली का इस्तेमाल किया, उन्हें गद्दार कहा, इसकी मैं कड़े शब्दों में निंदा करता हूँ। यह बयान बड़ा शर्मसार करने वाला है।
सिख सरदार है, वह कभी गद्दार नहीं हो सकता।
अगर कोई गद्दार है, तो… pic.twitter.com/M5ffCzOSMP
— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) February 4, 2026
BITTU HITS BACK, CITES PARTY SWITCH
Soon after Rahul Gandhi’s comment, Ravneet Singh Bittu told reporters that Gandhi’s language stemmed from his (Bittu’s) decision to leave the Congress and join the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“They think they are the biggest patriots. Even my grandfather, Sardar Beant Singh, Congress and the Gandhi family started a fire. Bullets were fired at the Guru Granth Sahib at the Golden Temple. They committed targeted killings of thousands of Sikhs,” Bittu said.
“If former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is referred to as ‘Shaheed’, then I also come from the family of Shahid-e-Azam Beant Singh,” he added.
Bittu also remarked on Gandhi’s attempt at a handshake after the jibe.
“You were fine when I was with you, but now that I am in the BJP, you are using such language. After such remarks, he is offering his hand as if he were a king,” the Union Minister said.
The heated political sparring unfolded on a day when proceedings in the Lok Sabha were disrupted amid Opposition protests during Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s address on the India-US trade deal, leading to the House being adjourned till 3 pm.
