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Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Sunday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his "Dimagi Naxals" remarks, accusing him of using the occasion of Diwali to target political rivals and alleging that his comments reflected a pattern of branding those who disagreed with his government.
In a post on X, Ramesh said the Prime Minister had not spared the country even on Diwali and objected to his remarks during his visit to Bastar, where he referred to "Dimagi Naxals". "The Prime Minister has not spared the nation even on Diwali day his trademark abuse.He has once again spoken of what he calls dimagi naxals. He has used a very solemn non-political occasion, donned the uniform of the security forces, and hurled invectives at his political rivals. This is a brazen assault on all institutional norms, but when has that ever stopped this man?" Ramesh said. Citing the Prime Minister's earlier remarks on those demanding a caste census, the Congress leader said Modi had described them as "urban naxals" on April 28, 2024, but later announced on April 30, 2025, that a caste census would be conducted as part of Census 2027. Ramesh also referred to the farmers' protest against the three farm laws, alleging that the Prime Minister had called those opposing the laws supporters of a Naxal ideology in September 2020 before withdrawing the laws on November 19, 2021. "The PM is clearly distraught, disturbed and desperate. Jhola-picking-up time is fast approaching," he added. This comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday warned that the threat of Naxalism was not over, alleging that "Dimagi Naxals" had infiltrated several organisations and political parties and were inciting people against the Constitution and democracy. Addressing security personnel during his Diwali celebrations in Bastar, the Prime Minister said that although armed Naxalites had been eliminated from forests, those he described as "Dimagi Naxals" continued to pose a challenge to the country. "We must remember one thing. Naxalites have been eliminated, but the threat is not yet over. While armed Naxalites have been wiped out from the forests, 'Dimagi Naxals' have taken control of several organisations. Even today, they are inciting people against the country's Constitution and democracy. These 'Dimagi Naxals' have also infiltrated several political parties and different organisations. We must identify them, defeat them and ensure the security of the nation," PM Modi said. The Prime Minister also accused previous governments of restricting the freedom of security personnel engaged in anti-Naxal operations, saying his government had given them the authority to take necessary decisions. "Previous governments had also kept the hands of security personnel fighting on the ground tied. Naxalite attacks would take place, but security forces did not have the freedom to retaliate openly. We gave the security forces the freedom to take all necessary decisions. We also worked to stop the support that certain people within the government and the system had extended to Left-Wing Extremism," he said. (ANI)
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