New Delhi: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday clarified Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent ‘dimagi Naxal’ remark, stating that it was not directed at opposition leaders but specifically at individuals who support Maoists and separatists and reject the Indian Constitution. The remark, made by the Prime Minister during his Independence Day address, had triggered a strong response from opposition parties, who interpreted it as an attempt to stigmatize dissent.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that Prime Minister Modi, in his address on the 80th Independence Day, cautioned the nation about ‘dimagi Naxals’ who, he alleged, have infiltrated the system and pose a threat by manipulating policies. He warned that while armed Naxalites might have diminished, their intellectual counterparts, the ‘dimagi Naxals’, remain a concern, advocating for their identification and isolation.
Following the Prime Minister’s statement, opposition leaders expressed their displeasure, terming the remark a strategy to target those who voice critical opinions against the government. Responding to the criticism, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju posted on X, formerly Twitter, asserting that Prime Minister Modi’s statement was not aimed at opposition leaders. He specified that ‘Dimagi Naxals’ are those who endorse Maoists, reject the Indian Constitution, align with separatists, support the abrogation of Article 370, and advocate for the separation of the North-East from India, referencing student activist Sarjeel Imam who is facing charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Sarjeel Imam was apprehended in August 2020 and subsequently booked under the UAPA for his alleged involvement as a key planner of the February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi, which resulted in 53 fatalities and over 700 injuries. The Union Minister’s clarifications then led to further exchanges with opposition figures.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pawan Khera humorously pointed out a numerical discrepancy in Rijiju’s enumeration, questioning the sequence of numbers. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh commented on Khera’s observation, labelling it as a testament to ‘entire political science’. Earlier, senior Congress leader and former Home Minister P. Chidambaram had provocatively declared on X, “I am proud to be a dimagi Naxal.”
Reacting to Chidambaram’s statement, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad condemned it as ‘utterly irresponsible’. Addressing a press conference in Patna, Prasad elaborated on the Prime Minister’s ‘dimagi Naxal’ reference, describing them as individuals operating from air-conditioned offices in major cities, nurturing Maoist ideology, securing funds and logistical support for Naxal movements, and subsequently defending their actions on television and in prominent newspapers. He stated that such individuals are labelled ‘dimagi Naxals’.
BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra also targeted Chidambaram, welcoming his acceptance of the ‘dimagi Naxal’ title. Patra linked the prosperity of Naxalism during the UPA government’s tenure to the Congress leader’s remarks and cited statistics regarding police and CRPF casualties, as well as civilian deaths due to Naxal attacks between 2004 and 2014. He further alleged that under the UPA government, 92 per cent of Naxal weapons were looted from police armouries, and 183 districts remained affected by Naxal violence in 2013.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey shared an old video of Chidambaram reportedly advocating against the acquisition of nuclear weapons without extensive debate. Dubey questioned whether such a statement from a Congress leader was indicative of a ‘dimagi naxal’. Additionally, BJP national general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santhosh criticized Chidambaram, referring to him as the ‘PMC (Project Management Consultant) of Saffron Terrorism – Bhagwa Atankwad project of UPA’. BJP’s IT department head Amit Malviya also weighed in, suggesting that the ‘Dimaagi Naxals’ label had deeply affected the opposition, drawing parallels to their ‘writhing like snakes in a sandpit’.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
