‘He is number one terrorist’: MoS Bittu’s controversial statement on Rahul
Ravneet Singh Bittu, MoS Railways | Credit: X-account
Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu attacked Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi over the statements he made in the US on the plight of Sikhs in India. He said on Sunday that if those who “produce bombs” supported him, he is “terrorist number one”.
Bittu, the Minister of Railways, made the statement in Bhagalpur, Bihar, where he was present at the inauguration ceremony of a Vande Bharat Express train to Howrah.
Congress condemned the statement, saying he spoke “like a fool.”
Bittu told reporters: “Rahul Gandhi spent most of his time outside the country. His friends and family are there. I think he doesn’t love his country much because he goes abroad and says negative things about India. I think he is not a Hindu.”
“Now he has the support of separatists, who always talk about dividing this country. They (separatists) and the most wanted persons also appreciate Rahul Gandhi for his remarks against Sikhs. When such people, who are also experts in making bombs, support Rahul Gandhi, then he is the number one terrorist of the country. He talks like a separatist. There should be a reward for catching him, because he is the biggest enemy of the country,” he added.
Bittu alleged that the Congress had previously tried to ‘use’ Muslims but failed and was now trying to divide the Sikhs.
“Gandhi talks about OBCs and other castes. He could not understand the pain of a cobbler, a carpenter or a mechanic even after becoming the leader of the opposition. This is a joke,” he said.
Addressing a gathering of Indian Americans in Washington DC, Gandhi said that in India the battle is over whether a Sikh can wear a turban or a kada or go to the Gurdwara. He also accused the RSS of considering some religions, languages and communities as inferior to others.
According to senior Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan, people know the contribution of the Gandhi family to the country.
“Whatever Bittu has said is not at all acceptable. He is talking like a fool. People know about the contribution of the Gandhi family to this country. Bittu himself was in the Congress. His father was also a Congressman. His remark against Rahul Gandhi is highly objectionable,” Khan, the Congress party leader in the state Assembly, told PTI.
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First publication: Sep 15, 2024 | 9:49 PM IST