Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday accused Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi of making a derogatory remark against BJP MP Ravinder Singh Bittu because of his Sikh identity. The allegation was made while the prime minister was replying to the Motion of Thanks on the president’s address in the Rajya Sabha, where he sharply criticized the Congress and its leadership over the controversy.

The Prime Minister was referring to an incident in the Parliament complex during a protest by suspended opposition MPs. During the protest, Ravinder Singh Bittu, a former Congress leader who joined the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, allegedly made a remark directed at the protesting MPs. This prompted Rahul Gandhi to comment that a “traitor” was walking by, a reference that later became the center of political controversy.

According to accounts of the incident, Rahul Gandhi described Bittu as a “traitor” and extended his hand towards him, reportedly saying that he would eventually return to the Congress. Bittu declined to shake hands with Gandhi and responded by calling him an “enemy of the country” before walking away. The exchange was widely circulated and drew sharp reactions from both parties.

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In his address to the Rajya Sabha, Prime Minister Modi said the remark reflected what he described as the Congress leadership’s attitude towards the Sikh community. He claimed that several leaders had left the Congress in the past, and the party itself had seen splits, but no such language had been used against them. “He called this MP a traitor because he is Sikh,” the prime minister alleged, drawing loud reactions from the treasury benches.

The Congress, however, clarified that Rahul Gandhi’s remark was aimed at Bittu’s decision to leave the party and join the BJP, and not at his religious identity. Despite this, the BJP termed the comment an insult to the Sikh community, with party leaders accusing the Congress of disrespecting Sikh sentiments.

Following the controversy, protests were reported by members of the Sikh community at various locations, including outside the Congress headquarters. The episode has added to the ongoing political confrontation between the BJP and the Congress, with both sides using the issue to sharpen their attacks in Parliament and beyond.

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