New Delhi [India], August 18 (ANI): The political row over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Dimagi Naxal” remark intensified on Tuesday as Congress leader Pawan Khera launched a sharp counterattack on Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju after he defended PM Modi’s remark.
Khera accused Rijiju of trying to deflect a self-inflicted controversy onto the Congress party.
PM Modi had, in his 80th Independence Day address from the Red Fort on August 15, warned that while armed Naxalism violence in India is nearing elimination, there was a threat of “dimaagi Naxals” and there was a need to identify and isolate them.
While several opposition leaders criticised the remark, Congress MP P Chidambaram posted on X, “I am proud to be a dimagi naxal!”. Rijiju has said the Congress party leaders themselves thought it was about them, while PM Modi didn’t name anybody.
Hitting back, Congress leader Pawan Khera said the row had become an embarrassment for the Prime Minister rather than a political win. He said that Rijiju had been sent for “damage control,” who is attempting to pivot the situation towards Congress to “rescue” the PM from this situation.
“The label ‘Dimaagi Naxal’ has become yet another PR debacle for Modi. An intended insult has turned into a badge of honour, with social-media pages and even a party emerging around the idea. And now Modi looks rather silly for having triggered it. That is why Kiren Rijiju has been sent in for damage control. They are desperately trying to make this about the Congress, slinging mud at us in the hope of rescuing Modi from yet another foot-in-the-mouth moment,” Khera on X.
He added that the controversy reflected deeper issues with the government rather than any Congress role in it. “But the truth is, this fiasco has little to do with the Congress. It has everything to do with the inherent opacity of this government and the growing discontent among the people of India with a corrupt, communal, casteist and crony-friendly regime. The ‘Dimaagi Naxal’ monster is Modi’s own creation. We’ll let Rijiju wrestle with it alone,” Khera said.
Earlier, Kiren Rijiju alleged that the Congress was turning into a “Maoist party” amid a row over PM Modi’s “dimagi Naxal” remark.
Speaking to ANI, Rijiju maintained that the Prime Minister’s remark was not targeted at a particular opposition party, while Congress leaders thought it was aimed at them. However, he alleged that the National Advisory Council under Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was “dominated by individuals holding such ideologies” and now the Congress “appears to be turning into a Maoist party.”
He claimed that “ideological Naxalism” encompasses separatist tendencies and groups or individuals advocating positions such as restoration of Article 370 or attempts to create divisions between the Northeast and the rest of the country.
Kiren Rijiju said, “In a way, the Congress party has transformed itself into a Maoist and Naxalite entity. While the National Advisory Council under Sonia Gandhi was previously dominated by individuals holding such ideologies, the entire Congress party now appears to be turning into a Maoist party. Having already become akin to the Muslim League, they are now moving towards becoming a Maoist party as well.”
He said that PM Modi echoed former PM Manmohan Singh’s remarks on Naxalism.
The Union Minister said, “The Prime Minister’s point–echoing what Manmohan Singh had also stated–is that Maoism and Naxalism pose the greatest threat to the country’s internal security and must be eradicated. Under PM Modi’s leadership, the armed Naxalites fighting against the nation have been largely eliminated. However, the underlying ideology persists in urban areas, and that too must be dealt with. Congress thought this was about them.”
“I clearly explained what Naxalism means and who the ‘Dimagi Naxals’ are–those who advocate for the country’s fragmentation, support Article 370, or call for the separation of the Northeast. They show no empathy for the families of those who fall victim to Naxalism; whether it involves personnel from the Army, CRPF, SSB, BSF, ITBP, CISF, or NSG, these Maoists and intellectual Naxals celebrate when such individuals are killed. That is precisely what I mean by ‘Dimagi Naxals’–and one wonders if Congress itself subscribes to this view,” Rijiju added. (ANI)
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