The incident took place right outside Parliament's Makar Dwar, the main entrance which MPs take to enter the new Parliament building, where Gandhi was standing in solidarity with suspended Congress MPs, mostly from Punjab.
Key Points
- Rahul Gandhi labeled Ravneet Singh Bittu a 'traitor' over Bittu's defection from Congress to the BJP.
- The incident occurred outside Parliament amidst protests by opposition MPs suspended for unruly behavior.
- Bittu retorted by calling Rahul Gandhi 'Desh ke dushman' (enemy of the nation).
- The suspension of eight opposition MPs stemmed from disruptions related to Rahul Gandhi's remarks on the India-China border standoff.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday exchanged barbs with former party colleague and union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu in Parliament premises.
In videos released by the Congress, Gandhi was heard calling Bittu "a traitor" and the minister retorting with "desh ke dushman" (enemy of the nation) jibe.
The incident took place right outside Parliament's Makar Dwar, the main entrance which MPs take to enter the new Parliament building, where Gandhi was standing in solidarity with suspended Congress MPs, mostly from Punjab.
As soon as he was about to speak, Bittu passed by, and remarked, "they (suspended Congress MPs are sitting here as if they have won a war".
Gandhi hit back, "The thing is, here is a traitor walking right by. Take a look at the face. How he looks."
Gandhi then extended his hand towards Bittu for a handshake, and said, "Hello brother, my traitor friend".
"Don't worry, you will come back (to the Congress)", Gandhi added addressing the Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing.
WATCH: Rahul-Ravneet Bittu's bitter exchange
Bittu, however, declined to shake hands with Gandhi and, while pointing to him, said, "desh ke dushman."
The union minister was seen in the videos springing past the Makar Dwar stairs, repeating his "desh ke dushman" charge while pointing at the Congress leaders and suspended MPs, who continued to jeer at him.
They were also heard saying, "surrender, surrender".
Bittu, the grandson of late Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, was a former MP of the Congress from Ludhiana and Anandpur Sahib before he switched sides to the BJP ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Lok Sabha Continues To Be Disrupted
Earlier on Wednesday, the Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon amid heavy sloganeering by Opposition members over the suspension of eight Opposition MPs a day earlier during the Budget Session.
The suspended opposition MPs were seen protesting outside Parliament, holding posters saying "PM is compromised." Rahul Gandhi had alleged the same while speaking to the media on the India-US trade agreement.
The suspended MPs include Congress members Hibi Eden, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Prashant Yadaorao Padole, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, and Dean Kuriakose, as well as CPI-M MP S Venkatesan.
Parliamentary Suspension and Uproar
Eight opposition members were suspended from the Lok Sabha for the remainder of the budget session for violating rules and "throwing papers on the chair" following uproar in the House over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's insistence on mentioning a specific reference to the 2020 standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju moved the motion for suspension of the eight members for the remainder of the budget session for "violating rules and throwing papers on the chair." The motion was adopted by the House amid protests from the opposition members.
With inputs from ANI
© 2026