09:24
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "dimagi Naxal" remark sparked a war of words between the opposition and the BJP, Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday said the PM was not referring to opposition leaders but only to those who support Maoists and separatists and reject the Indian Constitution.
Addressing the nation on the 80th Independence Day, Prime Minister Modi on Saturday warned the country about "dimagi Naxals" who have allegedly entrenched themselves in the system and continue to pose a threat to society by manipulating policies. He cautioned that "armed Naxals may have gone, but dimagi (intellectual) Naxals are lurking around" and called for "identifying and isolating" them.
The remark riled the opposition leaders who decried it as an attempt to stigmatise dissent and target those who question the government.
In a post on X, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rijiju said, "PM Narendra Modi ji didn't say opposition leaders are Dimagi Naxals."
"Only following are Dimagi Naxals: 1. Who support Maoists and reject the Indian Constitution. 2. Who stand with separatists & support Article 370.
"4. Who want to cut chicken neck to separate North-East from India (sic)," he said in veiled reference to student activist Sarjeel Imam, who is in judicial custody in connection with a case under the anti-terror UAPA law.
Imam was arrested on August 25, 2020, and booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for being one of the "masterminds" of the February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi that left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pawan Khera took a jibe at Rijiju with a post on X: "Brother Kiren Rijiju, get your counting right first, then we'll answer. After 1 and 2 comes 3, not 4."
"Entire Political Science's kamaal (The marvel of entire political science)," Congress' Jairam Ramesh said, responding to Khera's comment.
Earlier, senior Congress leader and former home minister P Chidambaram posted on X, "I am proud to be a 'dimagi Naxal'".
"Very unfortunate and highly damaging statement by respected former Home Minister of India," Rijiju said in another post on X, with correct numbers of the three points that he had earlier listed to explain who are 'dimagi Naxals'.
BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad also condemned Chidambaram's remark, calling it "utterly irresponsible".
Addressing a press conference in Patna, Prasad said Prime Minister Modi's reference to "dimagi Naxal" meant those people who sit in air-conditioned rooms in Delhi, Mumbai, Patna and Kolkata and nurture the ideology of Maoism.
"They leverage their networks to secure funds and logistical support for the (Naxal) movement. Whenever they find themselves in a tight spot, they appear on television to justify the group's heinous crimes.
"And when the public seethes with anger over Maoist atrocities, these individuals pen scathing articles in prominent English newspapers in their defence," Prasad said.
Such people are called "dimagi Naxals", the former Union minister added.
