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New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi’s “traitor” remark against Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu has snowballed into a fierce political confrontation, with the ruling BJP accusing the Congress leader of insulting not just an elected representative but the Sikh community at large. Senior BJP leaders have demanded strict action against Gandhi, calling his comment deeply offensive and unbecoming of a Leader of the Opposition.

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri spearheaded the BJP’s counter-offensive, asserting that Gandhi had crossed “all boundaries of civility, decency and dignity” by referring to a sitting parliamentarian and respected Sikh leader as a “traitor.”

“Rahul Gandhi may harbour a deep personal grudge against Bittu ji for choosing the politics of Vikas championed by the Modi government over the directionless Congress,” Puri said. “But no grievance can ever justify such a slur. Calling someone a ‘traitor’ implies betrayal of the nation. While Rahul Gandhi may have many friends who are traitors, Ravneet Singh Bittu is certainly not one of them.”

Puri underlined that Bittu’s family history itself rebuts any such allegation, pointing out that Bittu’s grandfather, former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, was assassinated by terrorists. “To call a man a traitor whose family paid the ultimate price fighting terrorism is not just baseless—it is disgraceful,” he said.

The Union minister went on to say that Gandhi’s remark amounted to an affront to the entire Sikh community. “He should have remembered the sacrifices of our Guru Sahibs and Sahibzaade, who laid down their lives to protect faith and righteousness. He should have known how Sikhism instils deep love for the motherland and how Sikhs serve in extraordinary numbers in the armed forces to defend India’s sovereignty. Calling a disciple of the Guru Sahibs a ‘traitor’ is an insult to every Sikh,” Puri asserted.

Describing the comment as a collective slur, he added, “It demeans the contributions of Sikhs in every sphere of national life. It insults their faith, their patriotism, and the supreme sacrifice of Sardar Beant Singh ji.” Puri also drew a historical parallel, remarking that “the same mindset was visible during the desecration of the Golden Temple in 1984.”

Echoing the demand for action, Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa urged the Lok Sabha Speaker to take cognisance of Gandhi’s conduct. Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, Sirsa alleged, “The Gandhi family are the real traitors—the ones who ordered tanks into the Golden Temple and presided over the massacre of Sikhs in 1984 by burning them alive with tyres. The anti-Sikh mentality of the Congress remains unchanged.”

Earlier, Ravneet Singh Bittu released a video statement recounting the incident inside Parliament. He said Rahul Gandhi called him a “traitor,” then extended his hand for a handshake. “They behave like monarchs, as if they own the country,” Bittu said. “But this is the hand of a Sardar—it will never be extended to those who desecrated our holiest shrine and were responsible for the killing of Sikhs in 1984.”

Bittu said he had enjoyed cordial relations with Rahul Gandhi while Rahul was in the Congress. “The moment I joined the BJP, I became a traitor in his eyes,” he said, adding that the Congress leadership remained uncomfortable with the fact that his grandfather’s martyrdom inevitably comes up whenever Rajiv Gandhi’s role is discussed.

According to Bittu, the exchange took place on Wednesday morning when Gandhi encountered him on the staircase near Parliament’s main entrance and remarked, “traitor friend.” Bittu responded sharply, calling the Congress leadership “enemies of the nation,” and refused to shake hands with Gandhi.

The incident has further intensified the already charged political atmosphere in Parliament, sharpening fault lines between the BJP and Congress, particularly on issues touching Sikh identity, historical memory, and political allegiance.