Punjab Congress backs Rahul Gandhi’s traitor remark

Leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Partap Singh Bajwa posted on X, “Rahul Gandhi called a spade a spade when he pointed out that Ravneet Bittu betrayed the ideology of his parent party, the legacy of his grandfather and the larger cause of a secular, united India. He owes his entire political existence to the Congress; biting the hand that fed him cannot be repackaged as patriotism.”

Bajwa also said the BJP’s attempt to wrap this defection in the tricolour is nothing but a fig leaf for political opportunism. “As Samuel Johnson rightly observed, ‘Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel’. No amount of chest-thumping can turn betrayal into bravery,” he said.

Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira said the word ‘traitor’ was used to address Bittu as an individual who ditched the party in testing times and is by no means an insult to the Sikh community, as portrayed by Hardeep Puri and other BJP leaders.

Khaira said, “It is common knowledge that Congress always rewarded Ravneet Bittu… made him MP three times from Punjab… And lastly Ravneet Bittu has been rejected by Punjab and does not represent the state or the Sikh community in any way.”

Former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu said it is sad and unfortunate that Bittu, a former colleague has termed the Congress leader as ‘desh ke dushman’.

Ashu also posted on social media, “I would advise him to introspect and reflect on how he reached this position. Bittu owes his political journey to… the Gandhi family, who supported him in becoming an MP thrice. Becoming a poster boy of the BJP does not justify forgetting one’s roots, abusing those who stood by you or betraying the party and leadership that shaped your career.”