Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu on Sunday triggered a row after he called Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition, a “Number 1 terrorist” and the biggest enemy of the country.
Bittu made the remark while reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks related to the Sikh Community during his visit to the US.
The MoS for railways said that if those “manufacturing bombs” were supporting Gandhi, then he is the “number one terrorist”. The BJP leader’s remarks came while attending the flagging-off ceremony of a Vande Bharat Express train in Bhagalpur, Bihar.
#WATCH | Patna, Bihar: Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu says, “He(Rahul Gandhi) is trying to break a religion and abroad he is saying that wearing a kada, turban is not allowed in India…The Gandhi family under a conspiracy raped our mothers and sisters in the… pic.twitter.com/t7P0cNsmyP
— ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2024
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Speaking to PTI, Ravneet Singh Bittu said, “Rahul Gandhi spent most of his time outside the country. His friends and family are there. I think he does not love his country much because he goes abroad and says negative things about India. I think he is not a Hindustani.”
“Now, he has got support from separatists, who always talk about dividing this country. They (separatists) and the most-wanted persons are also appreciating Rahul Gandhi for his remarks against Sikhs. When such people, who are also experts in manufacturing bombs, are supporting Rahul Gandhi, then he is the number one terrorist of the country. He is talking like a separatist. There should be a reward for catching him as he is the biggest enemy of the country,” he also said.
Bittu also alleged that Congress initially tried to “use” Muslims for political gain but is now attempting to divide Sikhs. He criticised Rahul Gandhi for not understanding the struggles of ordinary people, like cobblers and mechanics, despite being the opposition leader.
Congress condemned the statement of the Union Minister stating that he was talking “like a senseless man”.
Senior Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan said people know about the Gandhi family’s contribution to the country.
“Whatever Bittu has said is not acceptable at all. He is talking like a senseless man. People know about the Gandhi family’s contribution to this country. Bittu himself was in the Congress. His father was also a Congressman. His remark against Rahul Gandhi is highly condemnable,” Khan told PTI.
While addressing a gathering of Indian Americans in Washington DC, Gandhi stated that in India, the argument centers on whether or not a Sikh will be permitted to visit a gurdwara or wear a turban or kada. He also accused the RSS of treating certain religions, languages, and communities as inferior.