Union MoS and BJP MP Ravneet Singh Bittu and Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday in an ugly war of words on the floor of the Parliament. Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi blamed the central government for an “undeclared emergency” in the country even as a heated exchange with BJP’s Ravneet Singh Bittu during a debate in the Lok Sabha led to a brief adjournment in the proceedings. During a debate on the Union Budget in the Lower House, Channi also held the BJP government responsible for farmers being termed Khalistanis. He added that his home state Punjab was ignored in this year’s budget.
It got worse when Channi referred to the assassination of Bittu’s grandfather, former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. This led to a war of words between Bittu, who recently quit the Congress to join the BJP, and Channi.
The exchange became heated when Channi advocated for Khalistani terrorist Amritpal Singh and said, “They speak about Emergency every day. But what about the undeclared Emergency in the country today? …This too is Emergency that a man who was elected as an MP by 20 lakh people in Punjab is behind bars under the NSA. He is unable to present the views of the people of his constituency, here (Parliament). This too is Emergency.”
Reacting to the entire episode, Bittu said, “A former CM is behaving like a traitor and is misleading the entire country through the House. He said that NSA has been slapped on farmers. But who has it been actually slapped on – on those who wanted to break the country and Punjab. He said that NSA has been invoked against farmers and this is absolutely incorrect. An ex-CM has spoken about breaking the country and Punjab. Congress and Rahul Gandhi were sitting before him and making him say it. When we told him to bring evidence to the Floor of the House, he went on backfoot and had no reply. Congress party and the entire INDI Alliance are ashamed due to him.”