India’s opposition slams Modi’s ‘dimagi naxal’ label, says remark seeks to stigmatize dissent
New Delhi, August 18 (KMS): India’s opposition parties and leaders have strongly criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to identify and isolate “dimagi Naxals” (those with a Maoist or Naxal mindset), saying that he has coined a new label to target dissenters, intellectuals, and political rivals in the country.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Modi, in his Independence Day speech, claimed that while armed Naxals had been eliminated from the forests, “dimagi Naxals” remained and were seeking ways to promote “violence and anarchy”. He called for such people to be identified and isolated.
The remarks triggered sharp reactions from opposition leaders, particularly within the Congress.
Senior leader and former Indian home minister P. Chidambaram said, “PM has coined a new invective – mental Naxal. This is the new variation of their despicable description of dissident intellectuals, writers, teachers, scholars, etc. as ‘urban Naxals’.” He said, “I am proud to be a dimagi naxal!” warning that eliminating such “mental Naxals” would amount to eliminating the opposition and pave the way for “a one-party rule and eventually dictatorship.”
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh called the terminology “a sure sign of his desperation”, while party leader Sachin Pilot said the remarks showed Modi and the BJP were “rattled” by questions from disenchanted youth and students. “Anyone who opposes the government or its politics are dubbed anti-nationals,” he said.
CPI general secretary D. Raja described the phrase as “nothing but an attempt to stigmatise dissent and intimidate those who question the government.”
CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby said the term was being used against government critics and protesters, including those who demonstrated at Jantar Mantar.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra and Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Saurav Das also hit back. Das questioned the logic of branding educated young people as Naxals simply for questioning the government, calling the move arrogant and an indication of its failure to address their concerns.
CPI MP P. Sandosh Kumar also hit back at Modi, saying, “If we are Dimagi Naxals, he is Dimagi communal. We fight for the people. We are proud Dimagi Naxals.”
