Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma called former Home Minister P. Chidambaram a "pure Naxal" on Monday [1].
The accusation targets the security record of a former high-ranking official, suggesting that state-level leadership believes national security failures were intentional rather than systemic.
Speaking in Guwahati, Sarma said Chidambaram is a "pure Naxal" [1, 2]. The chief minister said the former Home Minister did not take the necessary steps to dismantle Naxalite movements while leading the ministry [1].
Sarma said Chidambaram deliberately failed to act against Naxalism during his tenure as Home Minister, and an inquiry is needed [1]. The demand for a formal investigation seeks to determine if the former minister's policy decisions were designed to protect insurgent interests [1, 2].
This confrontation highlights the ongoing political friction between the current Assam administration and former members of the central government. Sarma has linked these allegations to a broader pattern of instability, suggesting that other political figures are spreading anarchy [2].
The chief minister did not provide specific dates or documents during the announcement to support the claim of deliberate inaction. However, he said the gravity of the accusation warrants a full investigation into the historical handling of internal security [1].
Chidambaram has not yet issued a formal response to the specific demand for an inquiry into his tenure as Home Minister [1, 2].
“"P Chidambaram is a pure Naxal."”
This escalation represents a shift from policy disagreement to direct accusations of ideological collusion with armed insurgents. By calling for a formal inquiry, the Assam government is attempting to frame previous national security strategies not as failures of judgment, but as deliberate acts of sabotage, which could lead to legal challenges or further polarization in Indian political discourse.
