New Delhi

A sharp verbal exchange took place outside Parliament on Wednesday between Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu, with Gandhi referring to the BJP leader as a “traitor” and Bittu hitting back by calling the Congress leader an “enemy of the nation”.

The confrontation occurred near the Makar Dwar of Parliament, where Congress MPs were staging a protest over the suspension of opposition members from the Lok Sabha during the ongoing Budget Session.

As Ravneet Singh Bittu passed by the protesting lawmakers, Rahul Gandhi made a remark referencing Bittu’s decision to leave the Congress and join the BJP in 2024. Pointing towards him, Gandhi said, “Here is a traitor walking right by. Look at his face.” He then offered to shake hands, adding, “Hello, brother, my traitor friend. Don’t worry, you will come back.”

Bittu declined to shake hands and responded sharply, calling Gandhi “desh ke dushman” (enemy of the state). The exchange escalated after Bittu commented on the protest, saying the opposition MPs were “sitting as if they had won a war”.

The incident came amid heightened tensions in Parliament following the suspension of eight opposition MPs on Tuesday. The Lok Sabha was adjourned till noon earlier in the day due to continuous sloganeering by opposition members protesting the suspensions.

The suspended MPs were later seen demonstrating outside Parliament, holding placards that read “PM is compromised”. Rahul Gandhi echoed the allegation while speaking to reporters, linking it to the India–US trade agreement.

The MPs suspended for the remainder of the Budget Session 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) member S Venkatesan.

According to the government, the suspensions were enforced after the MPs violated parliamentary rules by disrupting proceedings and throwing papers at the Chair during a heated debate. The uproar followed Rahul Gandhi’s insistence on making a specific reference to the 2020 India-China standoff in eastern Ladakh during discussions in the House.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju moved the motion seeking suspension of the eight members for the remainder of the session, citing disorderly conduct. The motion was adopted by the Lok Sabha despite strong protests from opposition parties.

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The incident further underlined the deepening political confrontation between the ruling BJP and the opposition INDIA bloc during the Budget Session.