The BJP leader claimed that Rahul Gandhi was not a ‘Hindustani (Indian)’ as he has friends and family living in foreign nations.
Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu on Sunday sparked a controversy with his remarks against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying that if those “manufacturing bombs” were supporting the Leader of Opposition (LoP), he is the “number one terrorist”. Ravneet Bittu, the MoS for railways in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet, made the comments when asked about Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in the United States on the living condition of Sikhs in India.
“He (Gandhi) has got support from separatists, who always talk about dividing this country. They (separatists) and the most-wanted persons are also appreciating Rahul Gandhi for his remarks against Sikhs. When such people, who are also experts in manufacturing bombs, are supporting Rahul Gandhi, then he is the number one terrorist of the country. He is talking like a separatist. There should be a reward for catching him as he is the biggest enemy of the country,” Bittu told reporters in Bihar’s Bhagalpur where he had arrived to attend the flagging-off ceremony of a Vande Bharat Express train to Howrah.
Not ‘Hindustani’
The BJP leader claimed that Rahul Gandhi was not a ‘Hindustani (Indian)’ as he has friends and family living in foreign nations.
“Rahul Gandhi spent most of his time outside the country. His friends and family are there. I think he does not love his country much because he goes abroad and says negative things about India. I think he is not a Hindustani,” Bittu said.
Ravneet Bittu, a Congress turncoat who is now a minister in the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, also alleged that the Congress earlier tried to “use” Muslims, but as that could not happen, it was now attempting to divide Sikhs.
“Gandhi talks about OBCs and other castes. He has not been able to understand the pain of a cobbler, carpenter or mechanic, even after being the leader of the opposition. This is a joke,” he said.
Congress condemns statement
Meanwhile, reacting to Bittu’s remarks against Gandhi, Congress said the MoS was talking like a ”senseless man”
Senior Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan said people know about the Gandhi family’s contribution to the country.
“Whatever Bittu has said is not acceptable at all. He is talking like a senseless man. People know about the Gandhi family’s contribution to this country. Bittu himself was in the Congress. His father was also a Congressman. His remark against Rahul Gandhi is highly condemnable,” Khan, the Congress legislature party leader in the state assembly, told news agency PTI.
‘Sikhs not safe in India’
Notably, Bittu’s response was triggered by Rahul Gandhi’s comments in the US, wherein he had claimed that Sikhs are a persecuted minority in India.
Addressing a gathering of Indian Americans in Washington DC, Rahul Gandhi had said that in India, the fight is about whether a Sikh is going to be allowed to wear his turban or a kada or he is going to be able to go to Gurdwara. He also accused the RSS of considering some religions, languages and communities inferior to others.
(With PTI inputs)