Congress hits back at Modi's 'dimaagi Naxals' remark, calls it 'desperation'

The Congress hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, 15 August over his "dimaagi Naxals" attack, terming it a "sure sign of desperation".

Congress Rajya Sabha MP and general-secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said the prime minister had first attacked his opponents as "urban Naxals" and was now calling them "dimaagi Naxals", and termed Modi a "master abuser" in "entire Political Science".

"First he called his opponents 'urban Naxals'. Now he calls them 'dimaagi Naxals'. It is a sure sign of his desperation. It is a separate matter that he ends up doing whatever these so-called 'urban Naxals' or now 'dimaagi Naxals' are demanding or advocating. It is not for nothing that the PM has a MA being the 'Master Abuser' in Entire Political Science that he is," Ramesh said in a post on X.

The BJP has for years used the term 'urban Naxals' as a political label for left-leaning activists, academics, journalists and other critics, often portraying them as ideological or political fronts for Maoist insurgency. The term became prominent after the arrests of activists in 2018 in connection with the Elgar Parishad case, and has since featured regularly in BJP rhetoric against Opposition parties and critics.

Although the Union home ministry told Parliament in 2020 that it did not use the phrase 'urban Naxals', Modi and other BJP leaders have continued to use it. In January this year, Modi described "urban Naxalism" as a "major challenge" and said its scope was becoming international.

In his 13th consecutive Independence Day address to the nation, Modi hailed the elimination of Naxalism from the country but cautioned against lowering the guard, saying "armed Naxals may have gone, but dimaagi (intellectual) Naxals are lurking around".

"We have succeeded in getting rid of armed Naxals in the jungles, but the 'dimaagi Naxals' are looking for opportunities to create violence, unrest.... They want to drag the society on the wrong path," the prime minister said. "These intellectual Naxals have to be identified and isolated."

With PTI inputs