Rahul's 'traitor' jab at Bittu: BJP protests near Congress office on Akbar Road
New Delhi (PTI): BJP leaders and workers on Wednesday staged a protest near the Congress office on Akbar Road here against Rahul Gandhi for calling Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu a "traitor" in the Parliament House Complex.
The protesters gathered at Mansingh Road near the opposition party's office, raising slogans such as "Sikh Sardar Hai, Rahul Gandhi Gaddar Hai", and demanding an apology from the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Police said some of the protesters tried to climb the barricades put up to prevent them from proceeding further. At least seven protesters have been detained.
ALSO READ: Rahul calls Bittu 'traitor', Union minister retorts with 'desh ke dushman' jibe
As BJP protesters dismantled two layers of barricades and moved forward, many of them, including Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva, the party's national spokesperson Sardar R P Singh, MLA Tarvinder Marwah, state secretary Impreet Singh and Sikh Cell convener Charanjit Singh Lovely, were detained, the Delhi BJP said in a statement.
Leading the protest, Sachdeva said, "Gandhi has not just abused an individual but the entire Sikh community, which is the pride of the country."
"The Congress and the Gandhi family considered Sikhs traitors in 1984, and even today, they hold the same view. Rahul Gandhi has openly revealed what is on his mind," he alleged.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi kicked up a firestorm on Wednesday when he called Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu a "traitor", prompting the BJP to accuse him of insulting the entire Sikh community and demand that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla take action against him.
Several top BJP leaders came out to attack Gandhi, accusing him of having an "anti-Sikh mentality", even as some Sikh MPs stood out in support of him.
The faceoff happened right outside Parliament's Makar Dwar. As Bittu was entering the House Wednesday morning, Gandhi called him "a traitor" and the minister retorted with "desh ke dushman" (enemy of the nation) jibe.
Sardar RP Singh said that Rahul Gandhi's terming an elected MP a "traitor" was against the dignity of the Parliament and the democratic values. His remark has "crossed all limits of decency and propriety", and he must publicly apologise, Singh said.
A senior police officer said that a heavy police deployment was made to maintain law and order conditions.
"During the protest, some of the protesters were trying to climb the barricades installed there. We removed them from there, and at seven to 10 protestors have been detained," the officer added.
Bittu, who belongs to the Sikh community, is a three-time MP and Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries. He switched to the BJP from the Congress ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
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Kerala polls: Vijayan, Revanth Reddy trade barbs as campaigning ends
Kannur (Kerala)/Hyderabad (PTI): A war of words between Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his Telangana counterpart Revanth Reddy turned acrimonious on Tuesday, the final day of campaigning for the April 9 Assembly polls.
The two leaders sparred on the virtual world as well, exchanging letters on their respective social media handles.
The escalation came after Vijayan, responding to Reddy's earlier remarks, used Malayalam expressions considered nearly derogatory, signalling strong disapproval of the Telangana CM's comments.
Reddy, campaigning for the UDF in Kollam district, hit back swiftly, likening Vijayan to PM Narendra Modi.
He said he would take any personal remarks from the senior leader as a "blessing" considering his age, but objected to what he described as insults directed at the people of Kerala. "But you cannot abuse our Kerala people," he said, hours before campaigning drew to a close.
The controversy began after Reddy had said "nee po mone Vijaya" by invoking a famous dialogue from superstar Mohanlal's blockbuster movie "Narasimham" while referring to Vijayan on April 1 during a UDF campaign roadshow in Nemom constituency.
Earlier in the day, while reacting to Reddy's earlier remarks, Vijayan said a CM must maintain basic standards of conduct and questioned whether such dignity was being followed.
In his response to a query, Vijayan used Malayalam words that were seen as nearly derogatory for Reddy, signalling his strong disapproval of the remarks made against him.
Sharply reacting to the CM's objectionable remarks, Congress leader V D Satheesan said Vijayan appeared to have "completely lost composure" and warned that any further deterioration in his conduct would have brought "greater embarrassment" to the state.
After the critical remarks during the press meet, Vijayan wrote on his 'X' handle that political differences are natural, but expressing strong disagreement through personally insulting remarks is an attitude that he rejects. Reddy's statements lacked factual backing.
In a detailed letter attached with the 'X' post addressing the Telangana CM, Vijayan said the experience of the people of Kerala was "vastly different" from what Reddy had portrayed.
He clarified that he did not intend to engage in a debate over the performance of the Telangana government, stating that it was for the people of Telangana and political parties there to assess their government.
Referring to Reddy's comments, Vijayan said the LDF government has been consistently publishing progress reports over the past 10 years on the implementation of its election promises, underlining its commitment to continuous accountability.
He also rejected the allegation of "selective appropriation" of Kerala's achievements, including its top ranking in the NITI Aayog SDG Index, and said such criticism was misplaced.
Dismissing claims of industrial stagnation, Vijayan said Kerala has made significant strides in the startup ecosystem and ease of doing business, adding that these achievements have been widely acknowledged.
He also alleged that key infrastructure projects in Kerala, including the Kochi Metro and Vizhinjam Port, faced delays under previous Congress-led governments at the Centre, while long-pending promises such as a railway coach factory remained unfulfilled.
Vijayan further accused the BJP-led Union government of discrimination against Kerala and said the state has been actively resisting what he described as "anti-federal and undemocratic" policies through legal and political means, including approaching the Supreme Court.
He also rejected Reddy's criticism that the LDF was not vocal enough against the BJP, asserting that Kerala has been at the forefront of defending constitutional values.
Concluding his letter, Vijayan reiterated the state government's commitment to building a "Nava Keralam" and moving forward as a model for others.
On April 1, while addressing party workers in Nemom, Reddy used the popular Malayalam film dialogue "Nee po mone Vijaya". He adapted it to target Vijayan, saying "Nee po mone Vijaya".
Reddy went further, claiming that Vijayan's "time is over" and that his "expiry date has passed".
Responding to these allegations, Vijayan had said that the Telangana CM was "misinformed" and accused him of "ridiculing" Kerala and its people while trying to hide the weaknesses of his own state.
In a later response, Reddy defended his remarks and said that many of the statistics cited by Vijayan were taken from the NITI Aayog SDG Index 2023 24, arguing that the data was already outdated.
Reddy in his letter questioned the veteran Marxist leader's claim that Kerala would become the first state to completely eradicate extreme poverty by late 2025 had been achieved. Further, he chooses to conduct himself respectfully and gracefully in his criticism of the Kerala government's performance, whereas Vijayan opted to use language of poor taste.
Reddy, in his letter on X, said that while he respects NITI Aayog's corruption rankings, he wants to know why the infamous gold smuggling case, linked to individuals connected to the CMO, remains unresolved, and why 4.5 kg of gold allegedly misappropriated from the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple has not been accounted for.
