The Congress on Saturday strongly criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his reference to “dimaagi Naxals” during his Independence Day address, with party general secretary Jairam Ramesh describing the remark as a sign of “desperation”.
In a post on X, Ramesh said Modi had previously labelled his political opponents as “urban Naxals” and had now begun referring to them as “dimaagi Naxals”.
“First he called his opponents ‘urban Naxals’. Now he calls them ‘dimaagi Naxals’. It is a sure sign of his desperation,” Ramesh said.
He further claimed that many ideas and demands put forward by those whom the Prime Minister had criticised as “urban Naxals” or “dimaagi Naxals” were eventually adopted by the government.
Ramesh also took a swipe at Modi, describing him as a “master abuser” in the field of political discourse.
The Congress reaction came after Modi, in his 13th consecutive Independence Day address from the Red Fort, asserted that armed Naxalism had been effectively eliminated from the country. However, he cautioned against complacency, saying new challenges remained.
According to the Prime Minister, while armed Naxals had been pushed out of forests and traditional strongholds, “dimaagi Naxals” were still seeking opportunities to foment violence, create unrest and mislead society.
Modi said such “intellectual Naxals” needed to be identified and isolated to prevent them from steering society in the wrong direction.
