'Almost lynched’ at farmers’ protest: Ravneet Bittu seeks probe into Priyanka Gandhi’s role

Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu on Tuesday said he would file a formal complaint against Priyanka Gandhi seeking probe into circumstances under which she had sent him to meet protesting farmers during the farm law agitation. Bittu was allegedly assaulted at the protest site.

Bittu referred to the period when he was in the Congress--during the year 2020-21--when farmers held protests on the Delhi border areas.

In an exclusive interview with The Tribune, Bittu said that at the time he had no reason to doubt her intentions despite being aware of the hostility of the agitating farmers towards him.

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However, he now wants the matter investigated.

“I would like it to be probed what the intention was. Anything could have happened that day. We were almost lynched,” Bittu said, referring to the incident in which he and Congress MLA Kulbir Zira were allegedly attacked during the farmers’ protest.

The minister claimed there may have been a “plan and design” to cause him harm, potentially triggering a major political incident.

Responding to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “traitor” remark against him, Bittu said such language was unbecoming of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. “Many Congress leaders and MPs have joined from other parties. Does Rahul mean they are all traitors?” he asked.

Bittu was in Doraha to lay the foundation stone of a long-pending Railway Overbridge connecting Doraha with Neelon. The project is expected to ease traffic congestion in the area.

The ROB has been delayed for a long time for various administrative reasons. This would improve the connectivity between Chandigarh and other parts of the Malwa region.