New Delhi, Feb 4: A sharp confrontation unfolded outside Parliament on Wednesday as Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu exchanged heated words. The spat occurred near the Makar Dwar during a protest by Congress MPs against the suspension of eight party members from the Lok Sabha for the remainder of the Budget session.
Rahul Gandhi called MoS Bittu a “traitor” while standing with protesting MPs. “Here is a traitor walking right by. Look at the face… Don’t worry, you will come back [to Congress],” Gandhi said, even offering to shake hands with Bittu.
Bittu retaliated, calling Gandhi and his party members “desh ke dushman,” after commenting on the Congress protest. “They are sitting as if they won a war,” he said, referring to the MPs holding a demonstration outside the House.
The protest by Congress lawmakers comes a day after eight MPs were suspended for unruly behavior, including throwing papers on the chair, during uproar over Rahul Gandhi being barred from quoting excerpts from former Army Chief M.M. Naravane’s unpublished account of the 2020 India-China border standoff. The protesters were seen holding posters alleging, “PM is compromised.”
The incident underscores the rising tension between the opposition and the ruling party, spilling over outside the Parliament premises amid ongoing political confrontations.