News Analysis India

Tag: Ravneet Singh Bittu

  • ‘Infightings helped AAP’: Congress MP lashes out at party for Punjab defeat

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu on Wednesday said that AAP came to power in Punjab because of his party’s “infighting and mistakes” and alleged that Arvind Kejriwal’s party had misused Delhi’s funds for advertisements.

    Participating in the debate in Lok Sabha on the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 that seeks to unify the three municipal corporations of the national capital, Bittu said “there is nothing” in the AAP model of development as its schools and hospitals are funded by the Centre.

    “It is because of the Centre’s mercy and funding, schools, colleges and hospitals are running in the national capital. Otherwise, what is there in the AAP model? And if their schools are so good, why do AAP MPs move around with their coupons for central school admission,” Bittu said.

    The MP from Punjab, where Congress suffered defeat in the recent assembly polls, said,”The AAP came to Punjab because of our mistakes and infighting.”

    “It was not the choice of the people. And now people are saying the bill has been brought to postpone civic polls. Why weren’t the Punjab elections postponed. AAP was winning there.”

    He alleged that Delhi funds were misused for AAP’s advertisements in Punjab.

    “And now funds from Punjab will be used for advertisements in Gujarat,” he claimed and demanded an inquiry into the misuse of government funds.

    He said AAP will be “exposed” in six months in Punjab.

  • Congress’ Bittu, SAD’s Harsimrat have verbal spat in Parliament over farm bills

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament, a heated argument broke out between Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu and SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Thursday when the former accused the latter of getting the farm laws enacted while she was a minister in the Union Cabinet, and added that she ‘doing drama’ over the laws and showing ‘fake support’ to the farmers’ cause.

    The argument took place in Parliament today when SAD MPs were protesting against the new farm laws while Bittu was speaking to reporters.

    Bittu alleged that Badal resigned from the Cabinet after getting the laws enacted and repeatedly accused her of doing drama over the news laws.

    As Bittu continued to level allegations against Badal, the latter was seen arguing with him for a short while and then continuing with her protest.

    Speaking to reporters during the argument, Badal said, “Ask him (Bittu) where were Rahul Gandhi, Sonai Gandhi when these bills were passed. The Congress party by staging a walkout helped in the passage of those bills. Where were you when the bills were passed? Now you are spreading lies and maligning us?”

    Earlier, on Saturday, Badal along with members of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) met President Ram Nath Kovind to ask the Centre to discuss the issue of farm laws and Pegasus in the Parliament.

    Farmers have been protesting at the borders of Delhi since November 26 last year against the newly enacted farm laws — Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance, and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

    The opposition parties have been forcing adjournments in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha over several issues including the new farm laws since the beginning of this session.

    The Monsoon session of the Parliament, which started on July 19th, will conclude on August 13. (ANI)

  • Two Congress MPs, three Punjab ministers express concern over delay in justice in 2015 sacrilege case

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Three Punjab ministers and two Congress MPs on Monday met here and expressed concern over the alleged delay in justice in the 2015 sacrilege incidents and subsequent police firing in Faridkot.

    These Congress leaders are learnt to have sought early action against the perpetrators of the desecration of a religious text and the police firing in 2015, sources said.

    Congress MPs Partap Singh Bajwa and Ravneet Singh Bittu, and ministers Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Charanjit Singh Channi and Gurpreet Singh Kangar were part of the meeting, they said.

    Later, Randhawa met MLAs Raj Kumar Verka and Randeep Singh Nabha, the sources said.

    A few days ago too, some Congress leaders, including Randhawa, Channi and Navjot Singh Sidhu, had come together and had held a meeting.

    With assembly elections just less than a year away, some Congress legislators want Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to fulfil the promise made in the last polls of taking action against those involved in 2015 sacrilege incidents and police firing in Faridkot.

    They also want the chief minister to take concrete action against the alleged drug trade in the state.

    A minister who was part of the meeting held on Monday said they were concerned over the alleged “declining graph” of the Congress in the state in the wake of alleged “inaction” in the 2015 sacrilege incidents.

    The minister said they were also concerned over growing perception in the public that the government was “hand in glove” with the Badals of the opposition Shiromani Akali Dal.

    It is a question of the party’s survival in the state, the minister stressed.

    The Congress leaders are learnt to have stressed that they were disciplined soldiers of the Congress and would continue to take up these issues within the party, the sources said.

    There is a “discontent” among a section of Congress legislators over the alleged delay in delivery of justice in the 2015 incidents.

    The Congress had in the run-up to the 2017 assembly polls, promised to take strict action against the perpetrators of the desecration of a religious text and the police firing in 2015.

    Navjot Sidhu has been critical of Amarinder Singh after the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed a probe report into the 2015 Kotkapura firing case last month.

    Acting on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High court, the Punjab government has constituted a new three-member special investigation team (SIT) and directed it to complete the investigations into the Kotkapura firing incident, preferably in six months.

  • Bills passed in budget session to be challenged in court: Congress

    Congress claimed that they wanted the current Parliament session to continue till its stipulated time of April 8, but the government found excuses to curtail it two weeks ahead of schedule.

  • Ravneet Bittu to assume charge as leader of Congress in Lok Sabha temporarily

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Congress MP from Ludhiana Ravneet Singh Bittu would function as the leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha for the remaining part of the Budget session of Parliament, sources said on Thursday.

    Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Thursday entrusted the responsibility to Bittu, who is already the party’s whip in the Lower House of Parliament.

    The change was made as the Congress’ leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury would be busy in West Bengal assembly elections which is starting on March 27.

    Chowdhury is also the Congress’ West Bengal unit president.

    Bittu, the three-time MP from Ludhiana, will discharge the role of Congress leader for the ongoing budget session of parliament.

    The Congress’ deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi is also busy campaigning in poll-bound Assam.

    The Congress has been stalling both the houses of Parliament since the beginning of the second part of the budget session from March 8, demanding a discussion on the rise in fuel prices and on the farmers issue and demands.

  • Ravneet Singh Bittu to be leader of Congress In Lok Sabha

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: For the ongoing Budget Session of the Parliament, the Congress party on Thursday gave temporary charge of Lok Sabha leader to Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu.

    Bittu has been given the temporary charge as the Leader of Congress in the Lower House as  Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi are busy with assembly polls in West Bengal and Assam respectively.

    Chowdhury informed about the same in communication with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Loksabha Secretariat.

    Bittu, who is a whip of Congress in Lok Sabha, will lead the party on the floor.

    The development regarding Bittu’s name also came as party’s chief whip K Suresh and another whip Manickam Tagore are also engaged in assembly polls in their respective states, sources told ANI.

    It is important to note that Bittu has been assigned the task of leading Congress, overriding senior MPs from Punjab. Manish Tiwari is one senior MP and who is also part of the G-23 group in Congress was neglected for the task.

    After demanding dialogue on farmers’ issue during the first part of the Budget Session, Congress is focusing on rising fuel prices in the second half of the Budget Session in the Lok Sabha, where the House remains adjourned due to opposition’s demands to suspend all work and discuss the issue first.

  • Punjab CM Amarinder Singh blames AAP for ‘attack’ on Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu

    By PTI
    PATIALA: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday blamed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers for the “attack” on Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu at the Singhu border the day before, a charge the main opposition party in the state denied.

    Bittu was on Sunday allegedly assaulted, pushed around and his turban pulled off in what he described was a “murderous attack” by some “mischievous elements” during a ‘Jan Sansad’ programme at the Singhu border.

    The Ludhiana MP’s vehicle was also damaged in the attack at the Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji Memorial where he had gone with Congress’ Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla and party MLA Kulbir Singh Zira to attend the event.

    The chief minister alleged that the “attack” was not the handiwork of the peacefully protesting farmers but of AAP workers, whose only agenda is to weaken the farmers’ fight by “creating trouble” at the behest of the BJP.

    Responding, co-incharge of AAP’s Punjab unit Raghav Chadha claimed the farmers were turning against Congress leaders and that the protest was done by “aam aadmi (common people)” and not by the AAP.

    Speaking to reporters here, Amarinder Singh said farmers have been protesting peacefully at Delhi’s borders for over two months now without resorting to any such acts.

    AAP workers present near the Jan Sansad “attacked and manhandled” Bittu and MLA Zira, he claimed.

    “AAP is camping there,” the chief minister claimed. 

    “No one but AAP is responsible for the attack. Farmers are not responsible,” he added.

    “They (AAP workers) should understand that the country thrives on ‘Lokshahi (democracy)’ and not ‘dhakashahi (push and shove)’,” Singh said.

    Intelligence reports indicate that AAP workers intermingled with farmers and allegedly assaulted the Congress leaders, he claimed, adding that AAP’s “desperate attempts” to undermine him and his government in Punjab were becoming “more and more brazen by the day”.

    After their efforts to spread false propaganda and lies about the Congress-led government in Punjab failed to mislead the farmers, they “resorted to violence” against Bittu and Zira, the chief minister alleged.

    The farmers had no reason to assault the Punjab Congress leaders, Amarinder Singh further said, adding, “Such tactics would not help AAP to drive a wedge between his government and the farmers which they have been trying to do for months now at the bidding of Arvind Kejriwal, who is clearly dancing to the BJP leadership’s tune.”

    AAP’s Raghav Chadha, however, refuted the allegations levelled by the Punjab chief minister, and claimed Bittu was opposed at the protest venue only because of the statements he had made against farmers.

    “We want to make it clear to Captain (Amarinder) and to the Congress party that AAP had nothing to do with this attack,” Chadha said in a statement.

    If anyone is responsible for what happened on Sunday, it is the Congress party, Ravneet Bittu and the chief minister himself, he added.

    “A few days ago, Ravneet Bittu crossed the line of shamelessness and made all false statements against the farmers’ movement. People now know that Captain’s government is a fake government,” Chadha claimed.

    Amarinder Singh, in the meanwhile, said he was hopeful that the farmers’ tractor parade would be peaceful.

    Farmer leaders and kisan unions fighting the farm laws understand the gravity of the situation and will not do anything to damage their own efforts, he added.

  • ‘Murderous attack’: Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu assaulted at Singhu border, turban pulled off

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu was Sunday allegedly assaulted, pushed around and his turban pulled off in what he described was a “murderous attack” by some “mischievous elements” at the Singhu border during a ‘Jan Sansad’ programme.

    The Ludhiana MP’s vehicle was also damaged in the attack at the Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji Memorial where he had gone with Congress’ Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla and party MLA Kulbir Singh Zira to attend the event.

    “Some mischievous elements whose intentions were unknown, tried to spoil the situation by launching a murderous attack on three of us,” Bittu said in a Facebook post.

    ALSO READ | More batches of farmers from Punjab head for Delhi to take part in R-Day tractor parade

    Bittu, the grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh who was assassinated in 1995, Aujla and Zira have been holding a protest at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi for the past several days in support of the ongoing farmers’ agitation against the Centre’s three agriculture laws.

    Bittu claimed a few people thrashed him near the memorial and pulled off his turban.

    He described the incident as a “murderous attack”.

    Bittu was also pushed around by angry protesters.

    In the melee, Zira’s turban also came off.

    Some people were trying to save him and escorted him to his vehicle.

    ALSO WATCH:

    However, even as Bittu entered into his vehicle, a group of people attacked his SUV with sticks, broke its glass panes, rear windscreen and damaged its front windshield.

    The reason why Bittu was attacked was not immediately clear.

    In his Facebook post, Bittu also said they were fine and blamed some “mischievous elements” for the incident.

    He wrote that he along with Zira and Aujla had gone to attend Jan Sansad at Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji Memorial.

    Zira also blamed “some mischievous people” for the attack, saying farmers could not indulge in such activity.