New Delhi: Violent exchange between the opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi And a political war of words between Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu escalated inside the Parliament complex on Wednesday, when the Lok Sabha was adjourned amid opposition protests over the suspension of eight MPs.When Rahul Gandhi and the suspended opposition MPs were posing for a video, the confrontation took place on the steps of Parliament. When former Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu passed by, he taunted the group, saying, “Yeh Kargil ki Jung Jeet Ke Aye Hain. [seems like they have the won the Kargil war]”Rahul Gandhi responded by pointing at Bittu, commenting, “There is a traitor walking. Look at the face…” Then he offered to shake hands and said, “Hello brother, my traitorous friend. Don’t worry, you will come back (to the Congress).”Bittu refused to shake hands and was heard saying “country or enemy…” after which the two leaders were seen exchanging words. The incident was caught on camera and there were swift reactions from both sides.Political clashes erupted amid heightened tension in Parliament, where the Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon after opposition members shouted slogans against the suspension of eight MPs during the budget session. The suspended MPs staged a protest outside Parliament, chanting “Reconciliation done with PM.” Rahul Gandhi had earlier made this allegation while talking to the media on the India-US trade agreement.The suspended MPs include Congress leader Hibi Eden, Amarinder Singh Raja Waring, Manikam Tagore, Gurjit Singh Aujla, Prashant Yadavrao Padole, Chamla Kiran Kumar Reddy and Dean Kuriakos, CPI(M) MP S Venkatesh.Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to respond to the motion of thanks for the President’s address at the end of the day.Defending Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party MP Anand Bhadauria said the opposition leader represented people who voted against the BJP and accused the ruling party of trying to silence dissent. Speaking to ANI, Bhadauria said, “Rahul Gandhi is the LoP. He is the voice of everyone who voted against the BJP. If he wants to raise people’s voice in Parliament, something related to national security, BJP and treasury bench should not make such a fuss...This is a conspiracy to suppress the voice of the opposition. If the truth comes out before the people of the country, the BJP feels that its so-called Vishwaguru image will suffer. The country is not in safe hands and the public will know the truth. So the BJP is in a frenzy.Eight MPs were suspended for the rest of the budget session for violating House rules and “throwing papers on the chair” after repeated disruptions linked to Rahul Gandhi’s insistence on referring to the 2020 standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.A day earlier, Rahul Gandhi said he would not cite any magazine articles or unpublished memoirs but intended to speak briefly about China’s actions during the Kailash Range standoff. The government objected, maintaining that references to unpublished material were not permissible. The Chairman directed him to continue his speech on the motion of thanks, adhering to the judgment.When proceedings resumed, BJP member Dilip Saikia, who was in the chair, named the eight MPs. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju then moved a motion seeking his suspension for the remainder of the session, which was adopted amid continued opposition protests.
