New Delhi: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday strongly condemned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for referring to BJP MP Ravneet Singh Bittu as a “traitor”, saying such language was unacceptable and undermined the dignity of parliamentary discourse.
Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Puri said the word “traitor” carries grave connotations and should not be used lightly, particularly against a member of the Sikh community. He asserted that political disagreements or party switches cannot justify branding an individual with a term that implies betrayal of the nation.
Puri said it was evident that Rahul Gandhi was upset over Bittu leaving the Congress, but stressed that personal or political frustration could not excuse such remarks. He added that parliamentary conduct, both inside and outside Parliament, must be rooted in decency and respectful language, warning that irresponsible statements only deepen divisions.
The Union minister said calling someone a traitor simply for leaving a political party was unacceptable and unfair. He underlined that no individual from any community should be subjected to such labels, and that leaders must exercise restraint in their public remarks.
The controversy erupted earlier in the day outside Parliament at Makar Dwar, where Congress MPs were staging a protest. As Ravneet Singh Bittu walked past the demonstrators, a brief but sharp exchange took place between him and Rahul Gandhi. During the confrontation, the Leader of Opposition referred to Bittu as a “traitor” and sarcastically suggested that he would eventually return to the Congress. Bittu refused to shake hands with Gandhi and retorted by calling him an “enemy of the state”.
Earlier, Puri also took to social media platform X to criticise Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, saying the comment crossed all limits of civility, decency and dignity. He said it was deeply unjust to target a Sikh leader for aligning with the BJP’s ideology, particularly when Bittu’s own family had suffered at the hands of terrorism.
Ravneet Singh Bittu, who quit the Congress and joined the BJP in 2024, is the grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, who was assassinated in a terror attack in 1995.
