New Delhi

Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu on Thursday hit back at Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over the latter calling him a “traitor,” accusing the Congress of having turned into a “family affair.”

The sharp exchange followed a verbal spat between the two leaders outside Parliament on Wednesday. Gandhi was heard calling Bittu a “traitor” as the BJP leader walked past, while Bittu retorted by calling the Congress leader “desh ke dushman” (enemy of the nation).

Bittu, who joined the BJP in 2024 after quitting the Congress, said he left the party because it was no longer the Congress he once knew.

“When we were in the Congress, we won seats for the party and were never a burden. But when it became clear that the party had turned into a family affair and was no longer the real Congress, people began leaving,” Bittu told ANI.

“If this were the real Congress, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi would have been the first to climb on tables and get suspended from the House,” he added, taking a swipe at the party’s leadership.

Reacting to Gandhi’s remarks, BJP MP Jagdambika Pal said the comments had insulted the Sikh community.

“The Sikh community has definitely been insulted. Rahul Gandhi’s statements raise serious questions about his respect for Parliament and democratic values,” Pal said, adding that the four-day discussion on the President’s Address was disrupted due to the Opposition’s conduct.

During the exchange on Wednesday, Gandhi was heard saying, “Here is a traitor walking right by. Look at the face,” before offering to shake hands with Bittu and remarking, “Hello, brother, my traitor friend. Don’t worry, you will come back.”

Bittu declined to shake hands and responded by calling Gandhi an “enemy of the nation.” The exchange reportedly began after Bittu commented on protesting MPs, saying they were behaving “as if they had won a war.”

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Bittu later said Gandhi resorted to such language out of frustration over leaders switching to the BJP.