Bittu booked, dares Congress to prove Rahul’s claims about Sikhs

Unfazed by an FIR registered against him for his alleged remarks against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Minister and BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu on Thursday said he stood by his comments and was not afraid of police complaints

The Congress, which had earlier threatened Bittu with legal action, filed an FIR against Bittu in Bengaluru on Thursday.

Blames gandhis for terrorism in Punjab

Terrorism arose in Punjab due to the Gandhi family’s mistakes, and consequently 35,000 persons, including a CM, lost their lives. I will retract my statement on the day when you present one Sikh person who says that he was not allowed to wear a turban or a kada or not allowed to visit a gurdwara. Ravneet Singh Bittu, minister

An office-bearer of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee filed the FIR under Sections 353 (2) (making, publishing or circulating a statement or report with false information, rumours, or alarming news), 192 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot - if rioting be committed; if not committed) and 196 (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the High Grounds police station.

Firing a fresh salvo, Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu on Thursday challenged the Congress to present one Sikh person who had been prevented from wearing turban and ‘kada’ or stopped from paying obeisance at a gurdwara.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, while taking part in an event in Washington DC earlier this month, had criticised the BJP’s allegedly Hindu nationalist agenda. Rahul had said that the fight in India was about whether a Sikh could wear a turban or go to a gurdwara.

Ruling out the possibility of issuing an apology for calling Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi “a terrorist” for his remark in the US, Bittu said he would take back his words the very day he would meet a Sikh who had been prevented from wearing a turban or a ‘kada’ or stopped from visiting a gurdwara.

Interacting with reporters on the sidelines of a function in Delhi, Bittu said, “Why should I regret? We in Punjab have lost our generations. The Gandhi family burnt Punjab. Terrorism arose in Punjab due to their (the Gandhi family’s) mistakes. While fixing these, 35,000 persons lost their lives and even a chief minister had to sacrifice his life.”

“I will retract my statement on the very day when you find and present one Sikh person who says that he was not allowed to wear a turban or a kada or not allowed to visit a gurdwara,” he added.

The BJP leader said, “I am a minister later, a Punjabi and a Sikh first. If the language of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is a terrorist and wants a referendum for Khalistan, and Rahul Gandhi is the same, what will you say?”

When asked about the letter written by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the latter to take action against BJP leaders who were threatening Rahul Gandhi for the remarks he made in the US, Bittu asserted that it was Kharge who should apologise instead.