Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], August 16 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "dimagi Naxal" remark on Independence Day has triggered a major political showdown. After senior Congress leader P Chidambaram declared he was "proud to be a dimagi naxal," Gujarat Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi hit back on Sunday, citing Naxal attacks under Chidambaram's own tenure as Union Home Minister during the UPA government.
Responding to Chidambaram's statement on X, he said, "Shocked? Not at all. Now we know why Naxalism prospered during P. Chidambaram's tenure as Home Minister and under the UPA government. Now we know why around 1913 policemen and CRPF jawans were killed fighting Naxalism during 2004-14. Now we know why more than 5,019 Indians lost their lives to Naxal attacks under UPA rule. Now we know why, as Home Minister, 92% of Naxal weapons were looted from police armouries on his watch. Now we know why 182 districts remained hostage to Naxal violence in 2013. UPA's internal security record speaks for itself."
Chidambaram's remark was a direct response to Prime Minister Modi's Independence Day address a day earlier.
On Saturday, PM Modi said government action since 2014 has largely ended the jungle insurgency that claimed over 3,500 security personnel. But he alleged people with a "Maoist mentality" earlier held positions in government committees and influenced policy.
Linking the call to the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047, the Prime Minister said the focus must be on keeping youth aligned with nation-building and warned that an ideological Naxal mindset still exists in institutions despite armed Maoist violence "breathing its last".
On Saturday, Congress slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi following his remarks, dismissing his warnings against "dimagi naxals" as hollow political rhetoric while fiercely defending its historical legacy regarding India's national song, Vande Mataram.
Reacting to PM Modi's call to identify and isolate "dimagi naxals" who threaten the country's progress, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh stated that the term carries no real substance, drawing a parallel to previous debates surrounding the phrase "urban naxal."
Ramesh pointed out that when the government previously labelled political opponents as "urban naxals," Union Home Minister Amit Shah had to clarify in Parliament that no such official legal definition exists.
"Two or three years ago, he (PM Modi) called his political opponents 'Urban Naxals'; at that time, the question arose in Parliament as to what the definition of 'Urban Naxal' was. The Home Minister replied that there is no such thing as an 'Urban Naxal,' nor is there any definition for it. Today, the Prime Minister is using the term 'Mental Naxal' (ideological Naxal) for his political opponents from the Red Fort," Jairam Ramesh said.
Ramesh argued that the central government routinely vilifies its critics before eventually adopting the very policies they advocate.
"The reality is that he eventually accepts the issues and demands raised by the very people he labels as 'Urban Naxals.' He had dismissed the idea of a caste census as 'Urban Naxal' thinking, yet a year ago, he announced a caste-based census. First, you make derogatory remarks--calling them 'Urban Naxals' or 'Mental Naxals'--but later, you accept the very demands your political opponents were making... Even after 12 years, there was nothing new in his political speech," the Congress leader said. (ANI)
Gujarat Dy CM Harsh Sanghavi slams Chidambaram over "proud Dimagi Naxal" remark, cites Naxal attacks under UPA
