A political confrontation has erupted over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s use of the term “dimagi naxal”, with senior Congress leader P Chidambaram saying, “I am proud to be a dimagi naxal!” a day after Modi’s Independence Day speech at the Red Fort.
Chidambaram took aim at the Prime Minister in a post on X on Sunday, reacting to Modi’s warning about people with a Maoist mindset who, he said, had established themselves within the system and continued to influence policies.
“I am proud to be a dimagi naxal!” Chidambaram posted.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju strongly criticised the statement, clarifying that Modi had not labelled opposition leaders as “dimagi naxals” but was referring to a particular group of people.
Rijiju called Chidambaram’s comment “very unfortunate” and “highly damaging”, particularly coming from a former Union Home Minister.
He said Modi’s reference to “dimagi naxals” covered three categories of people: those who support Maoists and reject the Indian Constitution; those who back separatists and support Article 370; and those who want to “cut chicken neck” and separate the Northeast from the rest of India.
The exchange followed Modi’s Independence Day address, in which he used the term while speaking about the threat posed by Maoist ideology.
WHAT PM MODI SAID ABOUT ‘DIMAGI NAXALS’
During his 80th Independence Day address, Modi said India had made significant progress in eliminating armed Naxalism from forest regions but cautioned that people supporting the ideology were still looking for ways to encourage violence and disorder.
He called on citizens to identify and isolate those he described as “dimagi naxals”.
Modi said people with a Maoist mindset had, over the years, gained influence in government circles, serving as advisers to government committees and playing a role in shaping public policy.
The Prime Minister warned that the country should not underestimate the challenge and must remain alert.
He also highlighted the devastating impact of decades of Naxal and Maoist violence, saying it had destroyed the lives and aspirations of millions of young people.
According to Modi, more than 3,500 police and security personnel had lost their lives during the conflict, a figure he said exceeded the number of soldiers killed in wars.
He said Naxalism had held large parts of the country and a significant population under its control through violence and the threat of guns.
‘ENDING NAXALISM A PRIORITY SINCE 2014’
Modi said his government had treated the elimination of Naxalism as a priority since taking office in 2014.
He said long-standing challenges needed to be resolved and accused Naxalism and Maoism of destroying the future of millions of young people, taking away the sons of numerous mothers, breaking families and crushing parents’ aspirations.
Chidambaram’s decision to embrace the “dimagi naxal” label and Rijiju’s subsequent rebuttal have turned Modi’s remarks into a fresh political dispute, with the Congress leader accepting the description while the Union minister maintained that the Prime Minister was not targeting opposition leaders collectively.
