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PM Modi’s remarks came after Rahul Gandhi called BJP’s Ravneet Bittu a “traitor friend” outside the Parliament, while the latter called the Congress leader the “enemy of India”.
PM Modi addressing the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. (Sansad TV)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress for having an “anti-Sikh mindset” after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, called BJP MP Ravneet Singh Bittu a “traitor” outside the Parliament on Wednesday.
“Yesterday, the Prince of Congress called an MP a ‘traitor’. Their arrogance has reached new heights. So many people have left Congress. The Congress has been divided several times, several leaders have gone to other parties. They didn’t call them traitors. However, they called him (Bittu) a traitor because he was a Sikh,” Modi said in Rajya Sabha during his reply to the motion of thanks to the President’s address.
“This was an insult to all Sikhs. It was an expression of deep hatred of Congress for the Sikh community. They could have apologised in this House for the incident, but due to their hatred for Sikhs, they did not. He was an MP whose family made sacrifices for the nation. Just because he changed his political views, he became a ‘gaddar’ (traitor)?” he added.
Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, “Yesterday, in an incident in this House, Congress’s Yuvaraj called an MP a ‘traitor.’ This shows how arrogant they have become. That MP was called a ‘traitor’ because he was a Sikh…” pic.twitter.com/7ihgsaOTtY— IANS (@ians_india) February 5, 2026
PM Modi further underscored the significance of calling someone a “traitor”, saying, “If someone calls my citizens traitors, how will the nation tolerate this? Just because he is a Sikh, is he a traitor? These people will bring ruin to Congress.”
Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Traitor’ Jibe At Bittu
PM Modi’s sharp response came after a tense exchange outside the Parliament on Wednesday, when Rahul Gandhi was posing with suspended MPs. Bittu, a former Congress MP who later joined the BJP, was passing by and said, “Ye Kargil ki jung jeet ke aaye hain (seems like they have won the Kargil war).”
In response, Rahul Gandhi said, “Here is a traitor walking right by.” As Bittu walked up to the group, Gandhi repeated his charge, saying: “Take a look at the face. That’s what he looks like.” He then added, “hello brother, my traitor friend. Don’t worry, you will come back (to Congress)” and offered a handshake which Bittu refused, calling him ‘Desh ke Dushman‘ (enemy of India).
The exchange turned into a full-blown controversy as Sikh leaders from the BJP accused Gandhi of insulting the entire community. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri described the remarks as crossing “all boundaries of civility, decency and dignity.”
ALSO READ: ‘If There’s A Traitor, It’s You’: BJP Blasts Rahul Gandhi Over ‘Traitor’ Remark On Ravneet Bittu
“It is entirely possible that he holds a deep grudge against Bittu Ji for choosing the policies of Vikas espoused by the Modi government over the directionless Congress. But that cannot ever justify such a slur,” Puri wrote.
However, Congress leaders defended Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, saying the party had given everything to Bittu, yet he still chose to join the BJP. Amritsar MP Gurjeet Aujla said Bittu chose to “sit in the lap of the dictator” while the entire nation was “fighting against dictatorship.”
Bittu quit the Congress and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on March 26, 2024, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He resigned from Congress and formally became a BJP member as part of his switch before contesting the polls under his new party banner. However, he failed to win the elections.
‘Congress Insulted President, Dalits, Northeast’
The Prime Minister spent most of his speech in the Rajya Sabha attacking the Congress, accusing the party of insulting President Droupadi Murmu, the Dalit community and people of Northeastern countries.
“Disrespecting the people of the country seems to be ingrained in the Congress party’s behaviour and culture. In recent days, Congress has insulted the President. The language used for our President after the elections is shameful and disturbing,” he said. “Even yesterday in the Lok Sabha, a discussion on the President’s Address could not take place. This amounts to an insult to the office of the President.”
He also accused the Congress of insulting the people of Assam after the government awarded Bharat Ratna to former Assamese politician Bhupen Hazarika. “A son of a Dalit family from Andhra Pradesh was presiding over the House, and he too was insulted,” he added. “Congress has always worked to insult Dalits and Adivasis.”
February 05, 2026, 18:07 IST
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