Raucous Exchange Between Rahul Gandhi and Ravneet Singh Bittu in Parliament
Intense Confrontation Outside Parliament
On Wednesday, a heated exchange unfolded outside Parliament between Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, and Ravneet Singh Bittu, the Union Minister of State for Railways. During the confrontation, Gandhi labeled Bittu a 'traitor' as he passed by a group of Congress MPs protesting at Makar Dwar. This accusation came in response to Bittu's announcement of his decision to leave Congress and join the BJP ahead of the 2024 elections.
Gandhi remarked, 'Look, a traitor is walking right by. Just look at his face.' He extended a hand in a mock greeting, saying, 'Hello brother, my traitor friend. Don’t worry, you will return to Congress.' In response, Bittu refused to shake hands and referred to Gandhi as a 'foe of the nation.' The altercation escalated when Bittu commented on the protesting MPs, suggesting they were acting as if they had won a war.
Earlier that day, the Lok Sabha was adjourned until noon amidst loud protests from opposition members against the suspension of eight MPs the previous day. The suspended members were seen demonstrating outside Parliament with posters stating 'Prime Minister has compromised.' Gandhi had previously made allegations regarding the India-US trade agreement during a media interaction.
The suspended MPs included Congress members Hibi Eden, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Prashant Yadav, Chamalakiran Kumar Reddy, and Dean Kuriakose, along with CPI(M) MP S. Venkatesan. The uproar in the house was particularly noted after Gandhi emphasized the 2020 standoff with China in Eastern Ladakh, leading to the suspension of the eight opposition members for violating rules and 'throwing papers on the chair.'