New Delhi [India], February 4 : Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla on Wednesday defended Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi's remarks on Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, saying Gandhi "rightly referred to him as a traitor."
"Rahul Gandhi rightly referred to him as a traitor...You should first ask the Sikhs of Punjab whether he is a Sikh...," he said.
Reacting to the controversy, Aujla said Bittu deserted the party at a critical time when the country was facing what he described as a "dictatorial force."
Speaking to the media here, Aujla said, "What happened today at the Makara Dwar is that a Congress leader, whom the party had given everything, left the party at a time when a dictatorial force was advancing towards the country. And whose lap did he go and sit in? The dictator's, the BJP's."
Echoing similar views, Congress MP and former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said Gandhi had merely stated facts.
"Rahul Gandhi told Ravneet Singh Bittu that he is a traitor who left the Congress party when they needed him the most during the elections. If he is not a traitor, then what is he?" Channi asked.
This comes after the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi and Union Minister of State (MoS) for Railways, Ravneet Singh Bittu, earlier on Wednesday engaged in an exchange of words outside the Parliament, with the Lok Sabha LoP calling Bittu a "traitor."
Rahul Gandhi referred to Ravneet Bittu as a "traitor" as he passed by the protesting Congress MPs at Makar Dwar of the Parliament. Rahul Gandhi's "traitor" jibe came after Raveent Bittu resigned from the Congress and joined the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Gandhi said, "Here is a traitor walking right by. Look at the face."
The Congress leader offered to shake his hands, saying, "Hello, brother, my traitor friend. Don't worry, you will come back (to Congress)." The Union MoS refused to shake hands and called Rahul, "Desh ke dushman (enemy of the state)". The exchange of words began when Ravneet Bittu commented on the protesting MPs, saying, "They are sitting as if they won a war."
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