Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday referred to the remark as an “insult” to the Sikh community. Condemning Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s ‘gaddar’ jibe at Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Bittu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday referred to the remark as an “insult” to the Sikh community. Speaking during his Motion of Thanks to the President’s address in the Rajya Sabha, the prime minister hit out at “Yuvraj” and his “shaatir dimaag’ for the remark.
“His arrogance is at its peak. He did not call anyone else who has left the Congress a traitor. But he called the MP a traitor, because he is a Sikh. This was an insult to the Sikhs, an insult to the Gurus. This was an expression of the hatred for Sikhs that is filled in the Congress…He is a member of the family who sacrificed themselves for the country,” said Modi.
“Just because he changed his political ideology, he became a traitor? This is not a small word. How can the country tolerate a citizen being called a traitor?…This is highly unfortunate. Such people will sink Congress,” he added further. On Wednesday, during a verbal firestorm in the Parliament, Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi called Ravneet Singh Bittu a “traitor”. Gandhi was outside along with other Congress MPs who were protesting against the suspension of eight members of Parliament.
The remark came outside the Parliament’s Makar Dwar. As Bittu was trying to enter, Gandhi referred to him as a ‘gaddar’, to which Bittu responded by Gandhi “desh ka dushman” (enemy of the nation). ‘Gaddar’ as a term is often regarded as a slur, especially for the Sikh community. As per experts, the remark revives the memories of Sikhs being branded as traitors in the aftermath of former prime minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination.
The term also revives the trauma of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi and Operation Blue Star. Bittu later called Rahul Sonia Gandhi’s “bigda hua beta” (spoilt child), and asked, “Why didn’t he say such a thing to so many other MPs, but only to a Sikh?” “They (Gandhis) think they are the biggest ‘deshbhakts’ (patriots) as his father (Rajiv Gandhi) had sacrificed his life. I had a fight at the party. My grandfather, Beant Singh, was martyred in Punjab due to the fire (of terrorism) ignited by the Gandhi family,” he said.
BJP leaders reacted sharply to Gandhi’s remark, accusing the Congress MP of having an “anti-Sikh mentality”. However, Congress’ Punjab unit accused Bittu of betraying the party which “gave him everything he has”.
“Once a traitor, always a traitor! @RavneetBittu betrayed the @INCIndia party which gave him everything. @RahulGandhi ji made him MP 3 times and even @IYC president. Rahul ji was the one who inspired you to tie a turban. The BJP is using you with an expiry date, Bittu!” Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, state chief, wrote in a post on X. Responding to this, Bittu stated that if the party had remained like the “real Congress”, he would have never left.
