New Delhi: A sharp war of words broke out outside Parliament on Wednesday between Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and Union Minister of State for Railways, Ravneet Singh Bittu.

The confrontation occurred at Makar Dwar, where suspended Congress MPs were staging a protest. As Gandhi passed by, he pointed towards Bittu—who defected from Congress to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2024—remarking, “Here is a traitor walking right by. Look at the face.” He went on to greet him with a handshake offer, saying, “Hello, brother, my traitor friend. Don’t worry, you will come back (to Congress).”

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Bittu, however, refused the gesture and retorted by calling Gandhi “Desh ke dushman” (enemy of the state). The exchange was sparked after Bittu commented on the protesting MPs, saying, “They are sitting as if they won a war.”

Session adjourned amid Opposition sloganeering

Earlier in the day, the Lok Sabha was adjourned until noon amid loud sloganeering by Opposition members. The uproar followed the suspension of eight MPs during the Budget Session for allegedly violating rules and throwing papers at the Chair.

The suspended members—Congress MPs 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) MP S Venkatesan—were seen outside Parliament holding placards declaring “PM is compromised.” Gandhi himself had earlier accused the Prime Minister of being compromised while speaking to the press on the India–US trade agreement. 

The motion for suspension was moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and adopted by the House despite strong protests from the Opposition.

ANI