'Beant Singh died the day Ravneet Bittu left Congress': Lok Sabha fight between Charanjit Singh Channi, Bittu escalates; House gets adjourned

The Lok Sabha session today turned fiery after two Members of Parliament, Congress' Charanjit Singh Channi and BJP's Ravneet Bittu exchanged barbs and fierce personal attacks against each other. The exchange led to the adjournment of the House for a full 30 minutes.

It all began with Channi's speech, in which the former chief minister of Punjab delivered a scathing critique of the current government, accusing it of imposing an "undeclared Emergency" on the country. Channi even passionately defended Amritpal Singh, the jailed MP from Khadoor Sahib and chief of 'Waris Punjab De,' who is accused of fomenting separatism in the troubled northern state and for espousing the cause for Khalistan. Channi emphasised that Singh was elected by 2 million people, and yet is being prevented from representing his constituency.

“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 2 million people in Punjab is behind bars under the NSA. He is unable to present the views of the people of his constituency here [in Lok Sabha]. This too is Emergency,” Channi asserted during the Union Budget debate.

Channi also referenced the murder of popular singer Sidhu Moose Wala, criticising the government's handling of the case. 

“Today, a financial emergency-like condition is emerging, and the BJP is responsible for that. They talk about the 1975 Emergency, but what about today's undeclared emergency? It is also an emergency that Sidhu Moose Wala, one of the nation's most famous singers, was killed and justice has not been given to his family,” he stated.

Addressing the plight of farmers, Channi accused the BJP government of labeling them as Khalistanis for voicing their demands. “Farmers are called Khalistani when they make demands, which aren’t fulfilled. This is also an emergency,” he said, criticizing the government for ignoring the farmers' issues.

Channi further lambasted the BJP for neglecting Punjab in the Union Budget 2024. “It's not a budget to save the country; it's just to save their government. They haven't addressed the floods in Punjab, haven't raised wages, and have ignored Punjab in this budget. Jalandhar was declared a smart city, but it still has dirty water and a significant drug problem,” he argued.

The session took a dramatic turn then, with a heated exchange between Channi and Bittu. The altercation began when Channi made a personal remark about Bittu's late grandfather, former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. 

"Bittu ji, your father (grandfather) was martyred but he died the day you left Congress," said Channi, sparking a furious response from Bittu.

Bittu, visibly angered, countered Channi's remarks with personal attacks, accusing Channi of corruption and involvement in a molestation allegation. 

“My grandfather made the supreme sacrifice for the nation, not for Congress. This person (Channi) is talking about poverty; he is the most corrupt and rich person in Punjab, and I'll change my name if I'm proven wrong. He is also involved in 'MeToo' (an allegation of molestation),” Bittu retorted.

The verbal clash led to the adjournment of the House for 30 minutes as the situation escalated. Outside the Lok Sabha, Bittu continued his tirade, accusing Channi of misleading the country and distorting facts about the National Security Act (NSA). 

“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,” Bittu declared.

He further accused Channi and the Congress of attempting to sow division and bring shame to the Opposition alliance, stating, “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,” Bittu alleged.