Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: After the Lok Sabha was adjourned on Wednesday, a war of words ensued between leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi and Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu inside the Parliament complex. The confrontation unfolded on the steps of Parliament when Rahul Gandhi and Congress members gathered at the Parliaments Makara Dwar and were protesting the suspesion of 8 MPs. As Ravneet Singh Bittu, a former Congress MP, walked past, he took a jibe at the group, saying, “Ye Kargil ki jung jeet ke aaye hain [seems like they have the won the Kargil war].”
Rahul Gandhi responded by pointing towards Bittu and remarking, “Here is a traitor walking right by. Look at the face…” He then offered to shake hands, saying, “Hello brother, my traitor friend. Don’t worry, you will come back (to Congress).”
Bittu refused to shake hands with Rahul Gandhi and instead retorted , “Desh ke dushman..” The incident was caught on camera and quickly drew reactions from both sides.The political clash comes amid the suspension of MPs and the disruption of Rahul Gandhi’s speech in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. The House was adjourned till 12 pm on Wednesday following heavy sloganeering by Opposition members protesting the suspension of eight MPs during the Budget Session.The suspended MPs later staged a protest outside Parliament, holding placards reading “PM is compromised.” Rahul Gandhi had earlier made the same allegation while speaking to the media on the India-US trade agreement.The suspended MPs include Congress leaders Hibi Eden, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Prashant Yadaorao Padole, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, and Dean Kuriakose, along with CPI(M) MP S Venkatesan.Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to reply to the motion of thanks to the President’s address later in the day.Defending Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party MP Anand Bhadauria said the Leader of Opposition represents those who voted against the BJP and accused the ruling party of attempting to silence dissent. Speaking to ANI, Bhadauria said, “Rahul Gandhi is the LoP. He is the voice of everyone who voted against the BJP. If he wants to raise people’s voice in the Parliament, something related to national security, the BJP and the Treasury Bench should not raise such hue and cry...It is a conspiracy to stifle Opposition’s voice. If the truth comes out before the people of the country, BJP feels its so-called image of Vishwaguru will suffer a dent. The country is not in safe hands and public will get to know the truth. So, BJP is rattled.”The eight MPs were suspended for the remainder of the Budget Session for violating House rules and “throwing papers on the chair” after repeated disruptions linked to Rahul Gandhi’s insistence on raising a reference to the 2020 standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.A day earlier, Rahul Gandhi had said he would not cite any magazine article or unpublished memoirs but intended to briefly speak about Chinese action during the Kailash Range standoff. The government objected, maintaining that references to unpublished material were not permitted. The Chair directed him to continue his speech on the motion of thanks while adhering to the ruling.When proceedings resumed, BJP member Dilip Saikia, who was in the Chair, named the eight MPs. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju then moved the motion seeking their suspension for the remainder of the session, which was adopted amid continued Opposition protests.
