Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu on Sunday criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his statement on Sikhs during his recent visit to the US and called them the “biggest enemy and terrorist of the country”. Union Minister of State for Railways Bittu was in Bhagalpur district on Sunday to attend the programme of flagging off of Bhagalpur-Howrah Vande Bharat train from Bhagalpur station by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to news agency PTI, he said about Rahul Gandhi, “First of all, he is not an Indian. He has spent most of his time abroad. His friends and family members are there, so somewhere he does not love his country much. He goes abroad and speaks nonsense.”
#WATCH Bhagalpur, Bihar: On Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi’s recent statements, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu says, “Rahul Gandhi is not an Indian, he has spent most of his time outside. He does not love his country much because he goes abroad and says everything in a wrong… pic.twitter.com/uZTvtSuhGj
— ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2024
He said, “Now he has got the support of separatists, who always talk about dividing the country. They (separatists) and the most wanted people are also appreciating Rahul Gandhi’s remarks regarding Sikhs. When even bomb-making experts are supporting Rahul Gandhi, then he is the country’s ‘number one’ terrorist. He is talking like a separatist. There should be a reward for catching him because he is the biggest enemy of the country.”
“Earlier, they (Congress leaders) tried to use Muslims but it did not work and now they are trying to divide Sikhs,” alleged Bittu, a former Congressman who joined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Rahul’s statements in America were targeted
The Union Minister said, “Gandhi talks about OBCs and other castes. Despite being the leader of the opposition, he has not been able to understand the pain of a cobbler, carpenter or mechanic. This is a joke.”
The Union Minister was referring to Gandhi’s recent remarks in the US.
Addressing a gathering in Washington DC recently, Gandhi said that the fight in India is about whether a Sikh person should be allowed to wear a turban and a bracelet and go to a gurdwara.
He also accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of treating some religions, languages and communities as inferior to others.
Congress calls Bittu a ‘snake in the grass’
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate reacted to Bittu’s remarks and called him a “snake in the grass”.
Supriya Shrinet wrote on X, “The one who made his entire political career by following Rahul Gandhi, is giving cheap statements while sitting in the lap of the opposition in the greed for power. Ravneet Bittu, you should bark more, because the world should know your dirty reality. In the scriptures, people like you have been called snakes in the grass.”
Congress leader Sandeep Dixit said that Bittu is showing his loyalty towards BJP after resigning from the grand old party.
Speaking to ANI, he said, “We can only pity such people. His political career in Congress was also messed up…he used to praise Rahul Gandhi…and now after resigning from Congress and joining BJP, he is showing his loyalty towards the BJP party.”
Reacting to Bittu’s statement, Bihar Congress Legislature Party leader in Bihar Assembly Shakeel Ahmed Khan told PTI, “Whatever Bittu has said is not acceptable at all. He is talking like an ignorant man. People know about the contribution of the Gandhi family to this country. Bittu himself was earlier in the Congress… his father was also a Congressman. His comments against Rahul ji are highly condemnable.”